Potent (Sequel to Misfortunes)
by mistyhollowdrummer
Summary: They've run from the city. They've escaped from the horrors they faced only to be faced with hundreds more standing mere meters from them. "Has apathy washed over your heart once again, my young Miharu?" She asks me. "Has his death caused you to break?" I don't want to hear her. "Stop it… This is not what I wanted…" Spoilers warning! Some side couples!
1. Prologue

**A/N: Oh god, I know this is late. I'm very sorry. For the past week we've been having some serious internet issues and I said it on another fanfic, but I'll say it here. ^^' Sorry veryone.**

**But here we go! Potent! This is only the prologue, so it's short, but it's a thing that leads right into the story... So tada. XD Like Misfortunes this will be updated every weekend. I really hope you guys enjoy. I hope everyone who read Misfortunes comes to read this too. ^^' I'd be sad if not. Oh well. It's not like I'm forcing you. XD Alright! So without further adu... Adue... Tada darn it. XD**

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**(Sequel to Misfortunes)**  
**They've run from the city. They've escaped from the horrors they faced only to be faced with hundreds more standing mere meters from them.**  
**"Has apathy washed over your heart once again, my young Miharu?" She asks me. "Has his death caused you to break?" I don't want to hear her. "Stop it… This is not what I wanted…"**

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**Rated T: Adult Language, some sexual content, violence**  
**Couple: Yoite and Miharu (some other pairings will be mentioned)**  
**Anime: Nabari No Ou**

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**Potent**  
**(Prologue)**

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"Miharu," Kouichi walks forward a little but I hold out my arm and back up. The end of my arrow points straight for his head and he backs away, holding his arms up in defense. I back up more, feeling Yoite's shoulder hit the back of my leg. I don't look down even though I want to, knowing if I did the white-haired assassin could attack. "Miharu, what's it going to take for you to come back to Tokyo?" Kouichi asks.

I bite my lip and slowly turn my head over my shoulder. My brain tells me not to do it, but I can't help it. I have to see him.

Yoite looks up at me, his blue eyes shining with unfocused concern. He can't seem to keep his eyes on me straight for five seconds before he staggers slightly with dizziness. I swallow as he does just that. He reaches to his head and when he touches his forehead he flinches and pulls away. The wound on his head is puffy and red and it's terribly infected. I feel my heart ache when I can see the little red lines protruding from the wound.

_'Sepsis...'_ I think. _'If I don't get him to a hospital, he could die.' _I owe him my life, but I can't do much in our current situation.

_"Use me..."_

_'Shut up..._' I hiss in my head.

She's becoming more persistent.

I look back to Kouichi and Shijima who are waiting patiently. Well, Kouichi is. Shijima has resorted to scratching her long blades against the old wooden door, much like a cat scratching its claws against something to sharpen them. The sound makes me wince, but she doesn't stop. She's not too happy with my long decision making and I assume this is her way of trying to annoy a decision out of me.

I swallow hard. I have to help Yoite. He would give up so much to save my life. He already has. I have to make it up to him.

"What do you want us to do?" Kouichi asks.

"Medicine." I say.

"Huh?" Kouichi lets out. I feel Yoite's hand tighten on my ankle and I know what he's trying to say, but it's not going to work. I have to help him, even if it means going back...

"If you want me to go back to that hell then I want medicine." I say. Yoite tightens his grip again to warn me and Kouichi sees it. He seems to understand what I'm referring to.

"That's it?" He asks. I shake my head.

Oh no, I'm far from done.

"No. I want a stable and safe place for Yoite and I to stay. I want us to have food too." I say. Kouichi nods his head. Shijima seems really annoyed by all of this and stops clawing the door to stand up straight and waltz over to us.

"You're so _easy_ to read, Miharu." She says. Her voice is smooth and calm, but at the same time childish. "If that's what you want then fine, we'll give it to Yoite..." She turns away and flicks her hair over her shoulder. Her red eyes look into mine and despite her height, I'm the one feeling small. "I mean you," She corrects.

"You have to." I say. "Or else I won't go or stay." I state.

"It's a deal." Shijima leans against the door for a moment before hopping off of the abandoned rail car. She leaves Kouichi behind who startles and goes to the door. He stops before entering the early morning light and looks back at us, mainly me.

"So are we agreed then?" He asks. "For sure…?"

"Yeah," I say bitterly. "We're agreed."

"We'll get you into the city. There's a district in the city that's not monitored by Trackers, so we'll try and get you there. We'll get Yoite's medicine-"

"I'm not stupid. You don't have to repeat it." I hiss. Kouichi blanches when I glared at him. "You take care of us... And I'll lead your damn rebellion."

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**A/N: I wasn't exaggerating when I said it was short. XD Until next week with a nice, long chapter! :D**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Annnnd chapter one~ I want to say some things before we begin with the fanfic:**

**1: Some lines from the anime or manga will be used**

**2: With this story, you're going to see a lot of how Miharu acclimates into his new environment and how Yoite helps him with it. Yoite lived in the city (not this one but another) much longer than Miharu did, so the story is going to focus a lot on how Miharu is with all of this alien stuff around him. Don't worry, there will be their yaoi moments too. XD I'm just saying that so you know. ^^ The next chapter will be particularly hard for him. XD Also, the Shinrabansou is going to be more of an annoying bug in Miharu's head. She's going to talk a lot more. For those of you who have seen The Host, you know the girl Melanie is constantly talking in The Wanderer's head. That's kind of going to be how the Shinrabansou is.**

**3: As of right now I don't know how long this fanfic is going to be. Chapter wise I'm not sure of. Sorry. ^^'**

**4: If you follow me, you'll notice that I upload other fanfics at any point in the week. To let you know, I'm going to stop doing that. I'll say this on the other fanfics too, but just so YOU people know, all fanfics I have will be uploaded at the end of every week.**

**Alright, that's it. ^_^ Now enjoy this epic song~**

**Warrior by BAP**

**-Misty**

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**Potent: Chapter 1**

**Potent**

**Chapter 1**

**Banten District**

The streets are so busy and the crowd of people has me dizzy. I pull the scarf over my face to cover up more, afraid someone will see me and so I don't have to smell the scents of cigarette smoke and despair. That's all there is and it's making me nauseous.

I look to my right to see Yoite. He's pulling on the hood over his head to pull it over his face more. I do the same with my own and look away. Despite the cover I can still see his infected head injury. I can still see his limp, but he hasn't let me get that close to him. He won't let me look at the wound on his leg. For all I know it could be as infected as my own leg had been.

I had gotten lucky; the wounds around my wrists from the wires, the wound on my eye and the bruises and internal damage had healed on its own. It took a month to do so, but after that I was fine. Meanwhile, Yoite's got infected. He taught me how to make snares and traps of my own so I could set them and hunt. I had made myself a makeshift bow plus arrows from bones of animals I hunted. It wasn't as good as my old one, but it helped.

But it wasn't enough. We were too far away from any trading routes to steal medicine. Neither of us knew about herbal remedies. All I knew was there was a fresh water spring six miles away. It was a long trip but I did it so we had clean water. I used that to clean his wounds every day, but it didn't help. It probably made it worse too, but it was all I knew.

_'And if it wasn't for Yoite I wouldn't be stepping back in this hell hole.'_ I think to myself.

I don't blame Yoite. I never would either. I did this for him. I would gladly give my life if it meant he would be healthy. That's why we came back here. It was part of the deal between Kouichi, Shijima and I.

They told us exactly where to go and when. We were in the Banten district and I never did get the chance to ask why it was this district that wasn't monitored securely. I already knew what happened here though: murder, rape, theft, drug dealing, and slave trading; the list is endless. It's, by far, the most dangerous district here, but that's because people come here for freedom, or rather a place to breathe.

As instructed (though I would've done it without the instruction) I stuck to Yoite's side like glue. Unlike him; tall, thin, his sharp facial features giving him that impression that he'll kill anyone who messes with him, I'm small, weak, and unfortunately I look like a girl. I'm a perfect target for any old pervert with a fetish for little boys. That's another reason for the disguises we're wearing; these heavy coats with deep hoods and scarfs to cover the lower half of our faces will keep anyone from recognizing our faces. Yoite must be sweating because he's wearing his own coat under the ones Kouichi gave us, but at the same time I hope for that to be true. Winter had brought on its cold, and with its cold was snow, two feet of it to be exact.

I look back to him for a moment to watch his movements. I can see the fever making him go stiff. His body is getting harder to move and anyone who could see could see his terrible posture. He's got a limp from the wound in his leg and I can see under his hood that he has bags under his eyes. I can hear his wheezing from under the scarf; I didn't care for the disguises, they should have just gotten us a car so we didn't have to walk thirty miles to get here.

"Are you okay?" I whisper from under the scarf. He looks at me and nods his head a little. There's a bad aura being admitted from him though. Something is really off. I reach for his hand in his pocket and touch his hand with trepidation. I can feel how cold and clammy it is.

"I'll be okay." He whispers back. I nod and look ahead. I find it weird how all of these people are looking at us as if we're big bugs, but they're the ones with the disgusting looks to them. At least we're fed.

"Do you remember where we're supposed to meet that person?" I ask. Yoite pulls his hood up a little to look around. He points ahead to a hotel sign barely clinging to its hinges on a hotel a block away from us.

"I'm pretty sure that's it." He says and pulls the hood back down. I nod and walk forward.

Two weeks after Kouichi talked to us, Thobari and Yukimi managed to visit us. They were the ones who gave us these clothes and told us where to go. They also told us we would be meeting someone when we got to the hotel. They didn't say who, but Thobari specifically said only I would know the person when I saw them. I didn't get it, but if I knew them then I guess they were someone I already trusted.

I tightened my grip on Yoite's hand and started walking faster. I didn't want to be in this area anymore. Even though we'd only be in a hotel, it's better than being around these people.

We go down the block and cautiously step into the hotel. It's small, but well decorated for the district we are in. I look around, but the only person I see is behind the front desk.

"Are we early?" I ask. Yoite looks at me and shrugs his shoulders.

Just then I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turn my head and look over my shoulder. There's a thin and soft hand on my shoulder. I follow the arm and look up to the face.

There's a lady behind me with a pair of dark sunglasses and a big sun hat on her head that covers part of her shoulder length brown hair. She's wearing an expensive looking black coat that goes down to her knees and there's the thin fabric of a dress under it. She's wearing a pair of white heels, not too large but all the same still pushing her off of the ground. Slung around her shoulder is a small handbag.

She tilts her glasses down the bridge of her nose and looks at me. Quickly I recognize the eyes on her.

"Hana-!" She covers my mouth before I can say anymore and raises a finger to her own mouth, motioning me to be quiet.

"I already got you boys a room. Follow me." She whispers and takes my hand. She motions for Yoite to follow and she begins to guide us away from the lobby. I tighten my grip on Yoite's hand within my own, somewhat petulantly. This way I can stay by both of them closely and so Yoite doesn't feel left out.

I'll admit that Hana's touch right now is more comforting than Yoite's. Her touch is warm and gentle and her hands are so soft. The way her skin feels against mine is making me feel safe and secure.

Yoite has that same effect, but he's so sick that the only thing I feel is concern. So the next words that come out if my mouth earn a hard squeeze of my hand from him.

"Yoite's sick." I say. I look to Hana, but she's keeping quiet.

She walks us forward to a set of elevators and pushes a button. We get in and she pushes another. As soon as the elevator starts moving I cling to both of them. I've never been in an elevator before so it's weird to feel the world moving out from under me. Yoite and Hana don't seem to notice the sensation, but they do notice me shiver with fright. Soon, though, the elevator stops and the door opens. I erratically burst out of the small space as Hana and Yoite step out calmly.

"That's was weird!" I murmur with a panicked tone. Hana smiles and takes my hand again. This time she reaches out for Yoite's hand, but he doesn't take the gesture. I frown as he waits for her to begin walking, and when she does he moves behind me and holds the back of my shirt. I smile under my scarf because it's kind of cute, but at the same time it surprises me that he wouldn't take her hand. Why wouldn't he hold her hand?

Hana walks us to a room five rooms away from emergency stairs. She lets go of my hand and reaches in the handbag slung over her shoulder. She pulls out a small piece of plastic, something that looks like a plastic card, and pushes it in the slot of the door. There is a light that turns green and she opens the door. She nudges the both of us in, mumbling, _'get in, hurry.'_ We do as told and walk into the room.

Again it's well furbished for such a place in such a district. There's only one bed, but it's huge and then there's a couch a few feet in front of it. Over the couch is a projector in the wall, but this one is bigger and cleaner than the previous one I saw. The walls are a light blue and the floor is wood, so anywhere we walk our footsteps are amplified. There's a throw rug under the bed and nightstands on each side of it, both holding lamps that are off at the moment.

Hana shuts the door behind us and I turn to her. She pulls her glasses and hat off and tosses them away to the floor.

"Okay, now we can talk." She holds out her arms with a big smile and without questioning it I run and hug her. I wrap my arms around her shoulders and nuzzle my face into the crook of her neck, taking in her flowery scent. "Oh, my poor boy!" She whines. "I'm so glad you're okay, Miharu." She says while patting the back of my head.

Having her say my name makes my head spin. I'm so happy I could cry. I didn't realize how much I missed this woman until I got her back. I barely even know her and yet I still feel so close to her.

She pulls away for a moment to look at me. Hana's smiling that wonderful smile and rubs my cheeks with her hands. Her eyes are red like she about to cry too.

"I was so worried about you. When Thobari told me what was going on I panicked!" She said. "But I'm glad he's letting me help you. Normally he doesn't let me into Nabari business, but for the time being he didn't have a choice." She explained.

I smile and nod my head. It's all I can do or else I'll cry. I don't want to, but I feel the tears burning my eyes. Thobari was right; I can definitely trust Hana.

"I'm glad you're okay, too." I say. My voice wavers and she rubs my head in the same manner I love. I fall against her hand and let her pet me like I'm a child. It's so relaxing though. I haven't felt this relaxed in a while.

Hana looks up to Yoite and motions for him to come forward. He hesitates, but her voice is so soothing that he eventually follows. She takes his bruised hand in her own and rubs it between her hands, warming it up.

"You must be Yoite. Thobari told me you needed medicine, is that right?" She asks. Yoite looks away and nods hesitantly. Hana stands up and points to the couch. "Go ahead and sit down; I'll get the medicine." She instructs.

He listens. I join him on the couch and touch his leg. My touch isn't anywhere near his wound, but he still flinches and I can see the pain ebbing on his face. He's not letting on to whatever is wrong with him. There is something wrong and his pants are covering too much for me to tell. All I can tell, though, is that his leg is swollen and I can feel the heat just from this spot. If I can feel that with his pants covering it, it must be really infected.

Hana lays her jacket on the bed and then her handbag which she goes digging through. After a few moments she pulls out a syringe and a small vile filled with clear liquid. She then pulls out a small bottle with pink stuff inside. On the bottle are more labels I can't and probably never will read.

"Alright, I'll have to give you a shot to start, but every day you need to take this medicine-" She lifts up the pink bottle. "And drink the correct dosage. This will help with the infection and any fevers or aching muscles you've got." She smiles widely to him, but he doesn't respond.

I am right. Something is really off. I nudge my elbow against him, prompting a response, but I don't get one. He only looks away from both of us and nods his head.

"Oh my, well I can't give you the shot with all of this stuffy clothing on you boys. Go ahead and take those jackets off." Hana instructs. I quickly agree, noticing the room is already preheated due to the winter cold.

I yank my scarf off and then pull the hood down. I unzip the jacket and drop it on the floor, not caring at the moment where it lands. I'm now left in the terrible (not to mentioned seriously damaged) outfit I left the city in. The shoes are tattered and muddy, but still holding together, to my surprise.

I look to Yoite who isn't doing the same. In fact, he's taken to pulling his feet onto the couch and bringing his knees to his chest. Why is he suddenly acting so defensive? If I wasn't so worried, I would actually say he's really cute this way.

"Yoite, aren't you dying of a heat stroke like that?" Hana asks.

"No, I'm fine this way." He mumbles; his voice is a little scratchy.

"Yoite, you can't; what if you get sicker?" I ask while touching his side. He shakes his head, but I can feel the shudder pass through his body. He can't possibly be cold, can he?

"At least take them off so you can change into something better." Hana suggests. She reaches forward and touches his knee, and that's when he snaps.

"Stop!" He hollers. I'm so shocked that even I jump back in surprise. Hana retreats quickly, but she doesn't move from her spot in front of us.

I haven't heard him snap like that in a month. Now there's not a doubt in my mind that something is wrong.

"Yoite...?" I ask quietly. He pulls the collar of his jacket up over his chin.

"Is something wrong?" Hana asks. She doesn't try to touch him again.

"... It's embarrassing..." Yoite mumbles. I look at him and blush.

Embarrassed? Is that what this is about? What is there to be embarrassed about?

"Oh..." Hana mumbles. "Could it be... Are you a girl?" She jumps to the conclusion and asks.

"No!" Yoite falls over to the arm of the couch and covers his head with his hands. Well, if he was embarrassed before, it's killing him now. I have to hold back a small snicker, though.

He's so cute all of a sudden. It makes me want to hug him and kiss him, but not now. I won't do it because Hana is here. I did it once in front of Thobari and Yukimi, but that was a special reason. It didn't matter at the moment. Now it does and I'd rather not have Yoite kill himself because I embarrass him too much.

"Yoite, you need the medicine." I say, clearing my mind. I need to keep my composure and I school myself into a bored look.

Slowly Yoite leaves the arm of the couch and sits up. His cheeks are red, but he undoes the buttons on the outer jacket and shakes it off. He does the same with his own jacket, getting caught for a moment with the scarf still around his neck, and then takes that off. He's still in the same outfit the Global Edifice gave us, just like me. His has more caked-on blood on it then mine, but he went through more than I did before we broke out.

"Alright, can I see your arm?" Hana asks calmly. She's slowing her voice and speaking quieter, which shows me she's already read Yoite like he's an open book. I'm glad she does that, but somehow I'm jealous. I thought I had known Yoite well through being through so much with him for so long, yet here Hana is conquering him.

Despite it, though, Yoite holds out his arm slowly. Hana's nimble fingers slowly touch his arm and stops. She waits and when he doesn't move away she begins kneading her fingers against his skin, looking for his veins. When she finds it, she makes quick work of injecting the medicine in his arm. He winces, but he doesn't object. Then it's done and she drops the syringe in a nearby trash can.

"There, all done!" She chirps. Yoite rubs his arm, keeping the blood from leaving the new opening in his body. Hana grabs something else from her handbag; a small band aid. She holds it up for Yoite to see, to make sure he's okay with it. He nods, giving her permission to continue.

Hana pulls the band aid out of its package and slowly puts it over the tiny opening in Yoite's arm. It sticks on quickly and before Yoite can prepare himself, Hana places a small, simple kiss over the band aid. To my surprise, he doesn't react.

Okay, _now_ I'm jealous.

"Next order of business," Hana stands up from the couch and heads to the bathroom. We watch her disappear and then reappear from the bathroom with two bags, one in each hand. My curiosity is peaked, but Yoite seems as calm as ever, maybe even a little tired. "Miharu, Thobari told me your size, so I hope these clothes fit you. I wanted to know what you'd like wearing more, but I also thought you wouldn't care about the clothes, so long as they were warm." Hana speaks calmly as she hands me a bag. I look into it to see a multitude of clothes hidden away in the bag.

"Yoite, Yukimi gave me some clothes he had for you already. I got you a couple of sweaters and some shoes, but everything else is old." Hana handed Yoite his bag of clothes. He looks into it quietly and I peak in to see the clothes. Unlike mine, which are rather bright colors, his are darker and more subtle. I'm sure this is due to my height and weight. Only kid's clothes can fit me.

Wee...

"Thank you..." He mumbles. While we looked through the clothes and while I try to decide what to wear next, Hana starts looking through the jackets and sweaters we were previously wearing. She barely wants to look at them let alone touch them. She's using her thumb and index finger to pick through them. While I pull out a light blue shirt, the cuffs being white with a white hood hanging from the back, she looks up to the stuff we're wearing.

"Oh good lord..." I hear her mumble. If she feels sick from seeing us look like this now, she should try being in our position. She'd be a lot sicker then.

She then pulls on the scarfs we had around our necks. They somehow got tangled, I don't know how, but it's even more sickening to her.

"These things are falling apart..." She grumbles to herself. "I'm going to make you boy's actual scarves. These are disgraceful." She huffs.

While she complains, I pull out a pair of heavy sweat pants. I don't think we're going anywhere so I figure I might as well he comfortable here. I pull out some underwear and socks and look at them. It has been way too long since I've seen a pair of such white and clean socks... Okay, let me rephrase that; it's been a long time since I've seen socks in general. The last time I saw socks was...

I think I used them to wrap my arm up. I had a wound and nothing to cover it, so I used them for that. How old was I when that happened? I don't even remember.

"Do you two have any questions for me?" Hana rests her boney elbows on her knees and then sets her chin into her palms while she talks to us.

I shake my head and look over to Yoite, but he doesn't seem to have any either. He's ignoring her again, though. I don't know why he's being so rude today. Hana is someone we can completely trust.

"Alright then..." Hana stands up and pats my head. "I'm going to have to go then." She says sadly.

"Why now?" I ask.

"I still have work. I can't be here long anyway. We have to keep suspicions of you two being here to either none or as low as possible." Hana says. I frown when her hand leaves my head. "Someone else is supposed to be coming by later, but Thobari didn't say who."

Is this going to be another person I can trust? Will it be someone I can trust but don't want to or won't?

"Why are they coming here?" I ask.

"I think it was just to bring you boy's food and to talk to you." Hana says. "I would have brought you boy's food myself, but Yukimi said walking around with so much suspecting stuff is going to get me in trouble." She walks back to where she dropped her sun glasses and hat and puts them on.

I'm sad that she's leaving, but I know that she's right. Walking around in _this _district is enough to get her in trouble. I don't want her getting hurt because of us.

"Will you be okay by yourself?" I ask.

"I'll be just fine, but thank you for worrying about me." Hana comes back over to us and gives me a nice hug. I smile and hug back, happy to get the attention... But I'd rather have her pat my head again.

She goes to Yoite and does the same. She does it so fast that he can't stop her. I can see the discomfort go across his face, along with shock, surprise, even a little fear. He looks at me, as if begging for my help, but I look away like I see nothing and try to whistle. I can't whistle so all that comes out is sputtering, but I'm acting... Terribly yes, but I'm doing it anyway.

"Alright boys, I'll see you two later. Make sure you both get a good night's sleep and whatever food you get you better eat it." She goes right into mother mode by wagging her finger at us and using a stern tone on us. "I don't know when I can come back, but I better see some chubby faces the next time I do!" I smile at her words, but I frown when she picks up her over-the-shoulder handbag. I don't want her to go, but it's not like we have a choice.

I scoot closer to Yoite for comfort as Hana opens the door to the room. She looks back and forth a couple of times before stepping out of the room and looking back at us.

"Behave now, both of you." She whispers. She waves her hand and the door shuts.

We're now the only two in the quiet room. I look over to Yoite who is looking down at the clothes he's chosen in his hands. He doesn't seem too happy, but I think I know why. In the bag, none of the shirts or sweaters had any high neck collars. I'm assuming that he's upset because he can't cover up the scar on his neck. I frown, knowing I can't really help him here.

I'm okay with whatever I'm given so long as I can hide behind it and it doesn't attract attention. Yoite, however, isn't okay with it like I am. It looks like we both have some new things to get used to.

I pick my clothes up and hold them up in the air to look at them. It's been so long since I've had proper clothes, years to be more precise, so I honestly don't know what to think.

"Do you want to use the bathroom to change first?" Yoite asks me. His words are quick and abrupt so it startles me, but I act as cool as I can and shake my head.

"No, you go ahead. I can change out here while you go to the bathroom." I say. Yoite looks down at his clothes, cringes and nods his head. He stands up and takes his clothes with him to the bathroom where he disappears behind the door. I'm left in the warm room by myself and I don't waste time to sightsee.

I shed the worn out and bloody attire I'm wearing and trade it for the clothes Hana gave me. They are ten times warmer, comfortable, and more fitting than the last pair I had. As a matter of fact, these pants don't go to my calf; they go right down to my ankles. It's obvious that I got a little taller over the years, but I didn't know how much until I realized that the pants I was wearing were about four sizes too small. Glad to see I'm not as small as I thought.

When I'm in my new clothes, socks, underwear, even my new shoes, I step around the room, looking around curiously while testing out my new shows.

_Damn... _The shoes are comfortable too.

Yoite walks out of the bathroom after I waltz around for a few minutes. He's wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt with a pair of black and baggy sweats. I see him purposely turning his head to the side, trying to hide the scar on his neck. I can quickly see the discomfort on his face. I can safely assume now that the clothing he was wearing when I first met him wasn't for fashion, but rather for comfort.

"How are they?" I ask. I already know that his answer is going to be a lie, that he's going to say something about the clothes being comfortable or just _"fine,"_ but I'm trying to make conversation.

"They're fine." He mumbles.

One point for me.

"What about yours?" He asks.

"They're really warm." I say. It's true. They are unbelievable warm and comfortable.

"That's good..." He walks over to sit on the plush bed and I follow. It's really quiet in the room, and thinking about it now, I wonder if Yoite is at all tired. We've been traveling for two days now. It wouldn't have taken so long if we didn't stop so constantly, but I understood that Yoite would get winded easily. I didn't mind; it just meant more time for us to be alone before the work starts.

"Are you tired?" I ask. Yoite blinks his eyes a few times and I can see the haze over them.

"A little..." He mumbles again. I cautiously wrap my arm around him and pull, but he doesn't hesitate and collapses against me. His head rests on top of mine and I smile when his breath tickles the skin of my nose. I rub his back with one hand and the other finds one of his and tangles with it. His boney fingers are cold, but deftly reassuring.

"We should rest, Yoite." I say. He nods his head and sinks against me. I help him so he can lay his head in my lap and he takes to curling his hands into my pant legs. I smile as I rub his head, coaxing him into a deep sleep.

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**A/N: Now review~ XD**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ugh, it's late, I know. I have a busy week next week and I just finished another fanfiction in one day. I'm tired and work this week (and probably for a lot more) is going to be hectic. But here you go everyone!**

**-Misty**

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**Potent**  
**Chapter 2**  
**Guardians of the Secret**

**(Dedicated to Guardian who has gotten out of a heart surgery. I pray for your recovery. You were in my mind while writing this.)**

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Yoite's sleeping face is one that makes my heart clench, but not in a bad way. It makes my heart beat faster and my breath turn cold.

He really is beautiful.

I eventually pull him fully onto the bed and cover him with the blanket. He curls into a ball in his sleep, his fingers clenching by his lips and his brows furrowing slightly from the sudden movement. He looks like he's about ready to wake up, but sleep clings to his awareness and knocks him right out. I smile at the sweet, peaceful expression on his face before getting up from the bed.

I'm not all too tired despite how I felt earlier. I'm anxious and nervous and excited all at the same time. Thinking about Yoite doesn't help me in any matter, but it's oh so satisfying.

Instead of lingering in the room where I can wake him up, I walk around in the bathroom. It warm in here too; warm, shiny, clean and pristine. There are towels on almost every hook sticking out, a bath that's bigger than Yoite by at least six feet in width and height, a long elegant curtain that covers it and a mirror that reveals myself.

... How did I get this dirty in such a short time?

I could really use a bath. I need to get the clumps of dirt and blood out of my hair and get rid of dirt in... "Places" ... I look at the bath through the mirror and inspect myself a little more. There's no really good reason not to take a bath, well, all except one...

... How do I get the water going?

I got to the tub and looked inside. How the hell did things get so technical? I remember a bathtub, a nob that turns on the water and you turn it to change the temperature. Oh no, not this piece of contraption. There are multiple buttons here and there, none of which are named to help me any (Not like it'd help me anyway, considering I ccan't read). The shower head is far too high for me to reach and there is no other place for the water to come out.

If I were to make a wish right now, it'd be to make things less complicated.

_"Is that a final wish?"_ She asks me.

"Oh shut the hell up you annoying pest." I murmur quietly.

_"I truly am hurt, my young Miharu. Tell me, what has happened in your life to make you such a hardened shell?"_ She asks. I huff, ignore her completely and lean over the lip of the tub to push one of the buttons. All too quickly the water sprays from the shower head in a shower of cold water. It shocks me when it hits my head, enough for me to squeak in response and fall over the edge of the tub.

I fall in the tub and I don't know how to turn the water off. The water is filling the tub and filling it fast.

I reiterate: I can't swim.

I reach for the buttons on the wall and whine in frustration. I push as many buttons as I can, but it's only adding to the problem.

Pushing a red button heats the water up. Pushing a light blue button makes the water come out in spurts. Pushing a gray button sends soap into the water and downright blinds me. Now I can't see what colored or non-colored buttons I'm hitting, I'm just randomly swatting at them.

"Miharu...?" I hear Yoite's voice. I push myself away from the downpour of smelly water and rub my eyes clean. When it's just a blurry haze I can see, I consider it something. I open my eyes and look to the door to see Yoite leaning against it, giving me a confused (I see humor too, but that could be the soap in my eyes) look. "What are you doing?" He asks me.

I sputter out the soapy water in my mouth and huff.

"I can't turn the water off." I say. This time I know for sure that he's got amusement on his face, because his lips turn up in a small smile. I must look really funny if it's giving him amusement.

"Why did you turn it on?" I hear the small laugh under his question.

"I wanted to take a bath." I say. Yoite leaves the door and reaches a hand under the running water. He flicks a finger against one of the buttons (The gray one and I swear I pushed that button!) and the water shuts off completely. I sputter as water drips from my now drenched hair and gets into my mouth. "Did I wake you up?" I ask, deciding to ignore the whole situation he just saw.

He's looking down at me with amusement and I huff in irritation again. He doesn't answer and I know that, that is my answer. Instead of answering, he holds out a hand for me and I take it so he can pull me up. His very small nap has given him enough strength to help me up.

"Sorry..." I mumble. He shakes his head and moves away to grab a towel. He lifts the white towel he now has in his hand and presses it gently against my forehead, then my cheeks and then my nose and eyes. He wipes away the water coming off of my head and pulls my bangs back to look at my face. I see another one of his rare smiles on his face.

"You're supposed to take your clothes off before you get into the bath." He jokes. I push lightly against his chest.

"I know that," I say. To shut him up I stand on my tip toes and press a kiss to the corner of his lips. I was intending to get his lips, but my balance faltered with how slippery it is. He blushes and turns his head afterwards.

"Do you still want to take a bath?" He asks me. I really have to think about that for a moment. Go through that hell again? I'd rather be outside facing a pedophile.

"I uh... Don't know how to work this thing." I admit and falter slightly. I can feel my own blush going from ear to ear with having to admit such a stupid thing.

Yoite smiles a little and lifts me out of the tub. It surprises me at first because the initial motion is more than I thought he could do, but he does it without needing any help. Maybe he's stronger than I thought. Could it be he's getting better?

I don't ask any of my internal questions. I leave them just as is, internal questions, and watch as Yoite turns the water back on. The water is a lot more tame from the time when I turned it on it seems. It's quieter and when I reach a hand under it it's warmer and more comforting.

"Is that okay?" Yoite asks. I nod my head. "I'll bring you a change of clothes then." He says. I watch as he leaves and I stand still for a moment. I look away from the door and to the mirror.

Now I see why he was snickering so much and trying to hold back his laughter. The water had made the dirt clumps in my hair and on my face turn to mud. It was slowly slipping down my face and it looked like someone had simply poured mud on me. I look like some sort of shaggy dog. Gross and disgusting. Hana would be shivering with disgust if she saw this.

Yoite comes in with my new clothes. I know the shoes I'm wearing will have to dry, but it's not like I'm going anywhere any time soon. I'm fine with that. He sets them down on the counter of the sink and looks at me.

"Will you be okay on your own?" He asks me. I can hear the laugh in the undertone of his voice. I scoff and rub my forehead, effectively rubbing the mud along my face.

"Of course I will." I say. He doesn't look all too convinced, but he leaves. I watch the door for a few moments before I shed the new clothes that are now wet and leave them on the ground. I dip my hand under the shower water one more time to check the temperature before stepping in.

The water soaks my body quickly. It relaxes all of my strained and sore muscles and reaches down deep into my cold bones. It drenches me once again from head to toe and I look down at the drain to see dark water slipping down it.

Am I really that dirty? It's like I rolled around in a mud pit for craps sake!

I sigh and I shake my head around. Dirty water splatters against the wall and floor and I remind myself to be more careful. I pull the shower curtain over the opening of the shower so nothing spills out and go back to washing my body.

There are some containers next to me on a shelf. I can't read then, but more than likely it's all soaps. I take the first bottle of soap and squirt a lot of it in my hand. I rub the soap in my head, creating thousands of bubbles on my head. Some soap slips down my forehead and into my eyes and it stings, but I quickly wash it out, along with the dirty soap in my hair.

Watching it all go down the drain is gross; it's for sure that I'm going to have to put more soap in my hair. I do that and then go about washing my body while my hair soaks. I scrub just as hard as those people did when I was arrested, but since there aren't any painful brushes on me it doesn't hurt. I make sure I cover all areas on me, including in and behind my ears. I make sure to clean my feet and under my nails too. My poor, bitten to the nub finger nails need help; this is something I can start with.

Once I cover every area of my body in soap I wash it all down the drain. I rinse my hair out, relieved to see clean water going down the drain instead of dirty water. I haven't been this clean since being arrested; fun, but it's nice.

I look at the buttons on the wall and push the one Yoite pushed before. The water turns off, just like that, and I'm glad I don't have to go through another world war with the water again. I push the curtain back and grab a towel not too far from me. It suddenly feels cold in the bathroom, but the towel is warm and comforting. I keep it around my shoulders for a moment, just to stay warm before I go about drying myself. I won't be warm until I'm dry and dressed; no point in staying wet right now.

After a few minutes I am dry, clothed and warm. I run another dry towel over my head to get my hair dry. I look back at myself in the steamed up mirror again and I'm glad to say I look human again. My eyes are striking and bright and my face is pale and clean.

_"Now there is a little boy I know."_ The Shinrabansou whispers in my ear.

"Don't you ever shut up?" I ask her. I step out of the bathroom and the towel still on my head and I see Yoite standing by my door. "Yoite...?"

"Miharu, stay back." He says to me. I give him a confused look, noticing that he had a hand raised and a finger pointed. I follow his hand to see it pointing at two other figures in the room.

"Ah, look who finally decided to join us." I know that voice. It's Shijima, and standing next to her is Kouichi.

"Miharu, there you are." He sounds too relieved for his own good. He moves a step forward and Yoite pushes me back.

"Stay back." He says in a low, threatening tone.

"We aren't here to fight." Kouichi says, sounding completely offended.

"Let it go, Kouichi. They won't trust us no matter what we do." Shijima is running her fingers through her long, white hair as she speaks. I try to ignore that comment, but it somehow pisses me off. Who does she think she is?

Now that I look at her, though, she does look familiar. She's got an eerie resemblance to someone, but I don't know who.

"Yoite, put your hand down." I say. He looks back at me, confused and a little angry. I look back with as much confidence as I can. "They won't hurt us. That wasn't part of the deal. We have total amnesty."

"Well unless you go on some sort of homicidal rage and kill people." Shijima crawls onto our bed and pulls her legs to her chest so she can rest her head down on her boney knees. "Then we can't guarantee what will happen to you."

"I didn't plan on it." I hiss.

"I wasn't talking to _you_." She doesn't look away from Yoite as she speaks. She's obviously referring to him.

"I-I know we all got off of the wrong foot, but we aren't your enemy, Miharu. Honest." Kouichi is still holding his hands up in defense even though Yoite has dropped his hand. "We only want to help. Why can't you believe us?" He asks.

"Did you not see the scars you left?" I ask bitterly, not intending it for a joke.

"Well it's not like we had a choice. Had we blown our cover to help you then we would be dead ourselves." Shijima mumbles against her knees. Kouichi drops his hands and looks at her, seeming confused but smug.

"What's wrong with that?" He asks. She looks over at him and snickers.

I am obviously missing something here.

"The point is that in order to protect the person Kotaro was after, we had to play the bad guys." Shijima says and stands up on the bed. She jumps off, attempting to touch the ceiling, but even with the added height and jump she still can't reach. She drops to the floor and barely makes a sound, kind of like a cat would jump off of something. When she stands, she has a plastic bag in her hands.

"What's that?" Yoite asks.

"Food. Yukimi told us to bring it." Kouichi explains. I tilt my head as Shijima places the bag down on the bed and opens it.

"You mean you are the people who were supposed to come see us?" I ask.

"Congratulations, Miharu. You've won the jackpot." Shijima rebukes. As soon as she pulls the few containers out from the bag the scent of food catches my nose, and I don't mean food like rabbit meat or deer meet (and that's if we were lucky). I mean _food_, food. I can't make out the ingredients, but it smells heavenly.

I haven't eaten in two days. It's not that we didn't get anything to eat; it's just that we were traveling so much. Any food I caught went straight to Yoite. He had been really sick and it frightened me to no end, so I gave him my portions so he could keep his strength up.

This is the first time I have had food near me in any manner, and boy am I hungry.

"Thobari says don't bother saving leftovers. We'll be bringing more with us tomorrow." Kouichi smiles as he says. "So eat until you can't eat anymore. That's what he said at least." He added with a laugh.

Meanwhile, Shijima had set out all of the food. She already had some paper plates and silverware for us and was placing food on them as Yoite and I sat down on the bed, idly waiting. I watch with greedy eyes, following the food as she pulls it all around. It's taking a lot of willpower not to drool and even more not to jump across the bed for the food. Yoite by my side is a constant reminder, but my will is dwindling fast.

She seems to notice this. She answers my prayers by handing me a plate of food and then giving Yoite his. Even though I want to dig in, I stop. I don't know what's in this food and I don't know if it's poisoned or not. Shijima is right; we can't trust them, that's for sure.

"It's not poisoned." She rolls her red eyes and says like she's read my mind.

"Please, go ahead and eat. Thobari and Yukimi bought it from a shop near the middle of the city so it's all clean." Kouichi assures.

I don't know if I just trust them too much right now or if it's my dwindling sanity, but I believe them for the most part. I don't ask what it is that I'm eating, because I don't care. I just eat it.

After a few more seconds, Yoite finally gives in. He is a much faster eater than I am, always has and probably always will be, so it doesn't surprise me that he finishes his plate first.

"You want seconds?" Shijima asks.

... What, no smart ass comments?

Yoite just holds out his plate. He doesn't give them the pleasure of even a nod, he simply holds out his plate, as if demanding more. I snicker as I watch Shijima roll her eyes at him and scoops up more of the food (I still don't know what it is) to put it on his plate.

I can't tell if it's just some mashed up food made easier for chewing or if it's the mush from the prison. If it's the mush from the prison, then I'll say that it is, as Kouichi put it, definitely cleaner.

I finish my plate in a matter of minutes. I hold mine out, not even saying anything. I'm too mottled by hunger to care for manners right now.

"I honestly say that I pity you two." Shijima fills my plate as she speaks. She turns to Kouichi, another long side smile on her lips. "At least we catch our food with precision." She mumbles.

There must be something I'm missing. The side glances and the odd comments mean something, but I don't know what, and at this point I really don't care.

I eat my second plate in another few minutes and I can feel the food settling in my stomach, rather well too. I push my plate aside in favor of lying down and letting the food set in my system. As much as I'd like to eat more, I know that if I do I'll run the risk of seeing it again. I'd like to keep my food down, thank you very much.

Yoite eats one more plate of food. I don't blame him and I don't stop him. He deserves the food, so I let him eat and let him eat well.

"It's getting late," Kouichi murmurs.

"Yes it is." Shijima says in a quiet voice herself.

"How can you tell?" I ask with my head against the pillow. It's not like one could tell with the fake sun in the sky.

Shijima points over to the wall clock on the wall.

Yes, I _can_ read time. It's seven-forty at the moment. I can tell time and I can read numbers, I just didn't know there was a clock here.

"We must be going then." Shijima hopes off of the bed and pulls her hoodie over her head to hide her face. It just now occurred to me that the hoodie on her is the only heavy piece of clothing she's wearing. She's got a pair of short (And I do mean _short_) shorts on and her socks go to her ankles and a little past. Kouichi is the total opposite, wearing a scarf, hat, mittens, a long white jacket and a pair of heavy winter pants.

"We'll be back some time tomorrow." Kouichi says. As he speaks, Shijima waltzes over to the covered window and looks around. She finds a small keypad on the wall and goes to push some buttons.

To my surprise, images of other places come up. First it's a beach, another a calm park, then an overview of a city at night. All of this happened against the curtains covering the window. It was strikingly beautiful and realistic, yet calming and serene.

"Better?" She asks in the now dimmer light.

"Yes," I mumble. My eyes feel like they are ready for sleep. Kouichi comes by the bed and lifts all of the containers and plates of food and places them on the nightstand by the bed.

I'm really tired all of a sudden. I don't know if it's just having my stomach full of good food or the long walk Yoite and I had to endure to get here, but I am tired.

Or the food really was poisoned.

"We'll see you soon." Kouichi waves his hand at us, a big smile on his face. Shijima simply nods her head at us as she puts her hands in her pockets.

I don't know why Kouichi is so friendly with us. I've never met this boy before in my life until a few weeks ago when he beat Yoite and I to the point of physical and mental scarring. He keeps saying he had no choice and I think I can see that he was forced into harming us, but he always had a choice. He could have fought, even if it were to put us in harm's way. I'd have a better time trusting him if he had done that instead of go with the flow Kotaro had set.

"Sleep well," He says and the two leave without another word. I sigh and roll my head around to look at the mirage of the city on the curtains. I feel Yoite shift around on the bed and I can hear him sigh as well.

"We aren't supposed to get any more visitors today, right?" I ask in a tired voice.

"Not that I'm aware of..." Yoite mumbles. I smile a little and I feel the bed lift. Yoite stands up and walks over to wear I'm sitting. He sits on the edge of the bed and looks down at me and I can see the glow in his eyes. The food and small nap has brought a little life back into him and I'm glad.

"Hi..." He mumbles. I chuckle and blindly search for his hand in the dark. I find it and wrap my fingers around his.

"Hi," I say back. I see a small smile creep onto his lips and it makes me smile more.

"Are you tired?" He asks me.

"A little..." I close my eyes and rest my damp head into the pillow more.

"You should rest, Miharu." He says. "You haven't had a chance to do it for a while now." He adds.

A while us an understatement. Ever since I've met Yoite my life has been chaotic and hectic, but I really can't complain. I don't know what I would do without his presence. It'd be wrong it I was alone now. It wouldn't feel right.

"Will you stay with me?" I ask and tighten my hand around his.

"It's not like I can go anywhere..." He mumbles. I assume that he thinks I didn't hear him, so I pretend I didn't. "Of course I will."

That's a proper answer. I close my eyes and give his hand a little tug. His other hand goes to rub my head, and that's enough to knock me out cold.

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**A/N: So the joke between Kouichi and Shijima is that they're immortal. They can't die, like in the anime and manga, so that's why Kouichi asks what was wrong with the idea. XD Also, the time that's said in this fanfic (7:40) was the actual time it was when I wrote it. XD**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm sorry for the short chapter today, but I'm sick. Y_Y I'm also very tired. My eyes are actually dropping so it's hard to focus. ^^' So I'll go ahead and talk about this chapter a little before I faint. Like I said before, the Shinrabansou is going to be more of a pest. She's going to talk a lot more than in the anime and manga, so you get to see a little of that here. Also, you get to see some things about Miharu and how he feels about the lives of people and stuff. Not too interesting of a chapter this one is, but the next one will hopefully be better and longer.**

**Before I go I just wanted to say that I know have a lot of hours at work. I don't get as much time to work on my fanfiction as before, so if I miss a week or something, I am terribly sorry. T^T I'm trying to keep up every week, but it's hard to do when all I do it work. XD I said this on another fanfic myself.**

**Alright, that's it for today. Have a great day and I'll hear from you all next week! (Hopefully. XD)**

**-Misty**

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**Potent****  
****Chapter 3:**

**Let's Talk About Rebellion**

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The curtains were still playing that lovely city night life scene when I woke up. It is dark in the room, a little frightening, but it's warm and comforting at the same time. I'm cuddled under a heavy blanket, a couple of pillows under my head and a soft mattress under my body. It's a nice change in pace from the old, rotting and tattered train seats of the broken down rail car. There's the lingering smell of cigarette smoke; someone must have smoked in this bed, but I don't care. It's a lot better of a smell then the decay of life outside these walls.

It's not like I ever hated a rail car. It was like a safe haven for me. It kept me same when I needed it. It was a home that Yoite and I needed. That's what I loved about it. However, I can't deny that I'm more comfortable here than I ever was in the rail car, but it won't and never will have the sentimental value the trail car.

I shuffle around under the blankets, feeling the warm spot I'm in soak into my bones. It's comforting, but not as comforting as the feeling of an arm around my waist or the unmistakable feeling of someone's breath on the back of my neck. I shiver in delight at the sensation, knowing exactly who it is.

I want to turn around and face Yoite, but I don't want to wake him either. I want to see that peaceful face sleeping in an utterly blissful dream, but I don't want to disturb it and make him frown. Those lines never look well on him, despite how much he wears them.

He shifts in his sleep and I stiffen. I wait unnaturally still until he goes back to breathing in a steady pace. I sigh quietly and close my eyes. I let my other senses see for me and I feel Yoite's chest rising and falling while taking breaths. I can feel his body move to his heartbeat, a heartbeat that's dull, but only because he's calm and not panicking. I can feel his warm breath fan across my bare neck and his slim arm tensing slightly to bring me closer. I smile a little as I open my eyes.

I honestly didn't expect to see a pair of big, red eyes an inch away from my face.

"What the hell?!" I exclaim and shoot up from the bed. Shijima's eyes follow me as I fall over Yoite and land on the opposite side of him. That didn't wake him up; it was me screaming like a girl.

Have I mentioned that I have a girly voice yet?

"I think he's awake." Shijima says. I shoot up from the bed and pull the blankets up to my chest. Yoite does the same thing; however, he pulls his legs out from under me and to his chest.

"W-What are you doing here?" Yoite asks. I feel so incredibly guilty. He sounds so tired and his voice is dry from the lack of use.

"We said we were coming by." Shijima states bluntly. I look around at her use of the word_ "we"_ and see Kouichi standing by the curtains, hidden by the shadows.

"Well thank you for the friggin wake up call." I hiss.

"You're welcome," She replies. When she looks back at Kouichi I stick my tongue out at her.

"I told her not to do that." Kouichi says. "She doesn't listen to me, though."

When did they even get in here?

"You can't control your dog?" I tilt my head to the side with a not-too-sincere smirk on my lips.

I'm really not in the mood for dealing with anyone at the moment. Here I was all comfortable with Yoite and I get the shock of my life.

_Wee._

"Dogs are old news. Cats are the way to go." She pulls her hand up to her face and imitates a cat pawing at something. I sneer in her direction and look back to Yoite.

"Are you okay?" I ask. He nods his head, but his eyes are a little wide. He's probably still suffering from that shocking wakeup call.

"I'm alright..." He mumbles. I scoot closer to him and place a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for waking you up." I say. He shakes his head at me as he pulls the blankets up closer to his chest.

"I'm getting nauseous..." Shijima mumbles.

_"Try living inside the boy..."_ I hear the Shinrabansou mutter.

"You all need to shut up." I groan. I ignore the odd states I get from everyone. No doubt they are wondering who else I'm talking to besides them. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?" I ask to get their attention elsewhere.

"Breakfast," Kouichi say and holds up a plastic bag filled with food. My nose catches the scent of the heavenly food and I sit up more. I feel Yoite do the same beside me.

As Kouichi goes about setting up the food, Shijima goes back to the curtains to get rid of the city scene. She then paces her way over to our bed where she flips on the light sitting on the nightstand.

"That's not all." She says.

"Shijima, can't that wait a little longer? They just woke up." Kouichi asks while rubbing the back of his neck. He lets out a nervous laugh, something that tells me that what she has to say is either bad or big... Or both.

"Wait for what?" I ask.

"They could always find out by the herds of people outside." She stated.

"But that's not happening until tomorrow." Kouichi says.

"Hey, tell me what's going on." I demand. They look back at us, forgetting about their bickering for a moment to give us their attention. I feel Yoite curling beside me and I realize that he's just as hungry as I am, he just doesn't want to voice it. "... And hurry up and feed us." I add.

Kouichi chuckles and hands us our plates of food. Shijima plops her butt down on the bed, making it shake and for us to nearly drop our plates. We manage, though, and continue eating as if she hasn't done that.

"So what's going on?" I ask with my mouth full of food.

"Should I tell him?" Kouichi asks.

"Tomorrow some of our rebellion groups are breaking out of prison." Shijima interrupts.

"Or you could say it..." Kouichi drops his head and his glasses fall off of his head.

"Why...?" Yoite asks. His voice is breathless because he didn't bother to breathe while eating.

"In order to continue battling the existing government, we need our best fighters and negotiators with us." Shijima says.

"I think I saw something about rebels being arrested a month ago." I put my plate into my lap and say. "Was that them?" I ask.

"Yes. They purposely set themselves up to be arrested so they could do damage from the inside for when the right day comes." Kouichi says while arranging the glasses back onto his face.

_"It sounds more like they were plotting your rise into power."_ The Shinrabansou mumbles.

She's got a bit of a point. It's all a bit too coincidental to be "fate." I'm the only known person who can control the Shinrabasnou for sure. I've done it before and as of right now I'm doing it again. It would be easy to simply put Miss Fairy inside me, so everything else that follows would form onto place.

_"Ah, taken to calling me Miss Fairy again. It's just like when you were a child."_

"Miharu...?" I startled from my thoughts and look to Yoite.

Everyone is looking at me. It only occurs to me now that I was so busy thinking that I stopped eating.

_"Toss that in with muttering to yourself and you'll look like the perfect definition of a nut job."_

"Are you okay, Miharu?" Yoite asks me. I look at him to see his worried expression on his face. I give him, Kouichi and Shijima a sheepish grin and pull my food up to my face.

"I'm okay. I was just thinking about something." I say and then start drinking the porridge in my bowl like a drink.

"I wonder..." Shijima mumbles. I stop eating to looking at her over the rim of my bowl. "There were times where I would occupy Kotaro in his free time. All he did was talk, but never to me. He always talked to the Shinrabansou." She says while inspecting the tiny, childish nails on her fingers.

"Could it be that she is talking to you too?" She asks me. I swallow down a lump of food in my throat.

Should I openly say that what Shijima said was the truth? Should I tell them that the Shinrabansou was talking to me? She was and is becoming an annoying pest in my head and talking may help…

Or it could just make it worse.

"No... No, that's not it." I say. Shijima gives me an unreadable look with her red eyes and hums. "Really, it's not. I'm just thinking..."

"You can tell us what is on your mind, Miharu. Don't hold everything up inside. That's not healthy for you." Kouichi says. He sits down on the side of the bed and while Yoite curls away, I stay put. I know he won't kill me. I'm too precious right now.

Later? Possibly. Now? Never.

"I'm telling you the truth." I say and eat some more. Yoite reaches for me and pulls me closer to him. He doesn't want me so close to people who nearly killed us already, and in hindsight I'd probably so the same. "If she starts talking, though, I'll tell you. I promise."

_"Look at you, my little Miharu. Lying and promising false lies. That's not something you learn in the forest, now is it?"_ Miss Fairy asks me.

_'Looking through my memories again? Aren't you a little too old to be doing that?'_

I rub the back of my head against Yoite's shoulder, listening to him breathe while he eats. He doesn't seem to notice me or take much interest in me. Most of his attention is on his food, which is pretty much gone now.

_"Your memories are quite interesting. The beginning of your life is practically gone. You did everything in your power to erase your memories so you could focus on the here and now... Half of your life after that is a blur, just you trying to survive out there in the big bad world. In fact, you seem to be in a daze until you run into this boy."_

She's just toying with me now.

_"After that, all of your focus is on him. "Is he sick?" "Is he hurt?" "Where did he come from?" "Why was he in the forest?" This boy... Yoite... He's all that you think about."_

_"It's quite interesting to see the development of your relationship as well. It went from dying in a trap to..."_ She pauses.

I didn't notice it before, but while she talks, it's like everyone else's voices have died out. I see Kouichi and Shijima talking to each other; I see Yoite eating, but I don't hear anything. The only thing I hear is the Shinrabansou snickering.

_"Such a physical relationship."_ She murmurs with a teasing voice.

"Miharu, are you okay?" Kouichi's voice suddenly chimes in my ears. I look up at him to see that Shijima has turned her head as well, waiting for me to answer. Yoite has stopped eating again to look at me. "Your face is all pink. Do you have a fever?"

"N-No, I'm okay." I say.

"If you're sick you should say something. It wouldn't be good if our new ruler were to die from a cold." Shijima says.

"No really, I'm okay." I push some food into my mouth. My food is getting cold now. Shijima and Kouichi go back to talking. Yoite looks at me a little longer, his blue eyes lingering on mine. I give him a warm smile, assuring him as best as I can.

After a minute he finally looks away, letting me go from his stare so he can finish the last bites of his food. I close my eyes and relax against him, but there is still that nagging feeling in the back of my mind.

If people are breaking out of jail tomorrow, that means a lot of dangerous things will be happening, dangerous things I've never faced before and won't know how to handle. What if I do something wrong? Am I even doing anything to help tomorrow?

Of course I've had to deal with dangerous things before, but nothing like this. This is far out of my reach of knowledge.

What if something goes wrong? Will people get hurt? Will people die? I don't want innocent people getting involved in this. They have their own worries and concerns. They don't need to deal with anymore crap.

I look up to the two white haired ninja talking in front of us. How can they be so calm about this? Aren't they worried for the innocent people? Do they care for them at all?

"Hey..." I say. They look at me and stop talking.

"What is it?" Kouichi asks.

"Tomorrow, this prison escape... People are going to get hurt, aren't they?" I ask. The two are quiet for a moment and I feel Yoite still behind me. He knows the answer, unlike me.

"Probably," Shijima says. "They have to get past security. There is no way that the Trackers will let them out without a fight."

"Is that what is bothering you, Miharu?" Kouichi pulls his glasses off for a moment and asks.

_"No, but you'll lie anyway."_ Miss Fairy grumbles.

I nod my head. I need straight answers. I'm only going with this for now.

_"Still so predictable..."_

"Miharu... I know you probably don't understand, but the lives that are lost will only aid in what we'll gain in the end." Kouichi preaches.

"And the lives that are lost don't have families?" I ask. "Or friends...?" The two of them go silent. Yoite tightens his grip around my waist. He rests his head down on my shoulder and sighs. I can smell the food lingering on his breath.

"Miharu," Kouichi begins. "You and Yoite have lived in the forest for a long time... You and him had to kill many things in order to survive, right?" He asks me. I nod my head. "Well then this is kind of the same." He says.

"I don't see how it's the same." I say.

"Well you killed animals to eat and live. Isn't that what we're doing? Killing to live?" He asks. I narrow my eyes on him.

Does he not see the differences?

I stand up from my spot in Yoite's arms and leave the bed. I pace myself over to Kouichi and glare at him.

"Let me ask you something." I demand in a low tone. "Tomorrow, how many will go home and take the time to think of the face they murdered and pray they are happy in the afterlife?" I ask

Kouichi gives me a deadpan look. His eyes are wide and surprised; the glasses in his hand are being clenched. Even now, Shijima seems quite surprised.

"I took the lives of animals that had babies to feed and lives worth protecting. I prayed for them. Every night I did that." I glare at him in anger. "I don't know if there is a god up there or not, but those were lives... As I see it, the only people who give a damn about them are Yoite and I."

I think back to how tender Yoite was to the corpse of the rabbit when I first met him. He obviously cared about the innocent life he took.

This was different. I may have killed animals to survive, but I was never proud of it. I was going to cherish the lives that would be lost tomorrow, good or bad. They all have their motives, reasons and ideals. They may not match mine or someone else's, but they are alive to live those as they saw fit.

_"So much like your father, Miharu. I was just starting to wonder if you got anything from him at all."_ Miss Fairy mumbles.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey everybody! First off, thanks for being so concerned about me last week. ^^' Honestly, I've been sick, run down and tired. Like I said, this week was one hell of a week. They were measly four hour shifts that turned into eight hours for three or four days. I know, I know, what am I complaining about? Well try standing on your feet for eight hours with shin splints and THEN TALK TO ME ABOUT PAIN! ... owo... Sorry, I got off of topic. XD**

**Thanks for being patient with me. I'm sorry last weeks chapter was short and crappy, so I hope this one makes up for it. :3 ****This chapter was actually written really fast, so I hope it's okay. But on another note, next weeks chapter, we get new characters! Be prepared for our gay Raikou and spontaneous Reimai! And many others! XD Okay~ I'm sorry... He's gay *Cough cough***

**Look at that. Already October. Well whoa. owo Hope you're enjoying your October!**

**-Misty**

* * *

**Potent****  
****Chapter 4:**

**Run Like You Mean It**

* * *

I stare at the hologram going across the screen. It's the one of the park and it's peaceful, something I could use. After my barking at Kouichi and Shijimi (and then telling them to get out of my sight before I left myself), I had been stressed to no end. I still am.

I want to be back in the forest where I can live on my own. Things seemed to be a lot easier when I was by myself. I didn't need anyone or anything, just food and water to survive. Now I'm stuck in this hell hole of a city, trapped behind stone and cement walls and waiting for the future of many lives to be taken.

I'm not up to this. I thought I could handle it, but I was wrong. I agreed to it only to help Yoite. I thought I could handle what they threw at me later, provided that Yoite was okay, but it seems that I was wrong. I don't know what the hell I'm going to do.

_Me_ running a rebellion? Holding the lives of thousands of people in my hands? I don't know if I can do this…

"_You don't have a choice, my little Miharu."_ Miss Fairy says. "You're the ruler of the Nabari world. You must take control in order to survive now." She continues.

"When I turned on this scenery, I did it to relax, not hear you babble nonsense into my ear." I mumble. I look over my shoulder to Yoite sleeping under the covers. He doesn't move and his breathing is steady, so I know he's sleeping peacefully.

"_Miharu, you can't run away from everything."_ If she had arms I bet she would be wrapping them around my shoulders right now. _"You have to take everything head on and face it like a man."_

"I'm not a man, I'm sixteen years old. And why should I? I never asked for any of this. I didn't want you back and I sure as hell didn't want this responsibility." I stand up so I can picture her being left by the side of the bed. I cross my arms over my chest as I stand by the curtains, watching people running down a little park path around a fountain.

"_No, but you have been given an opportunity unlike any other." _Her voice is soft and soothing, like honey to a burned tongue.

"I don't want it. I don't want to do this." I childishly say. I may be acting like a child, but that's because I am one. "I never asked for this. I'd rather face my life surviving in the forest again then deal with people here."

"_Miharu, in order to survive, you __**must**__ do this. This is how you're going to survive now. Don't you get it?"_ She takes a shaper turn in her words and tone. I can imagine her angry face. "I don't think you understand the amount of power you have, Miharu. You can change anything about this world, anything at all.

"_You can create a world…"_ Her voice trails off. I close my eyes and sigh. Good, she can go rot in hell for all I care. "_Where poor children like Yoite never had to go through hell,"_ Her voice is right next to my ear. I whip around and swing my arm, but she's gone. I don't even need to feel the presence of someone watching me to know that she's gone.

I stare around the room, letting my eyes adjust to the dark before finding Yoite still in bed. I sigh a little, relief being the only thing I feel, but then I feel confused and… Nostalgic? Is that the word?

Something seemed familiar about the words she said. Has she said that to me before? I don't think she has, and if she has I probably don't remember it. When I ran away, I did exactly what she said I did. I forced my memories away. It took forever, but it eventually worked.

I don't remember a thing. Even if I tried I wouldn't be able to remember crap. It's gone. I don't know if I'll ever remember what happened to me in the past.

I sigh as I look back to the scenery. I'm tired of this scene, I really am. It's fake and not even close to the reality that I live. I push past one of the curtains, opening it only an inch and peeking through it to see the world outside.

It's old, decrepit, falling apart and gray. Buildings are tilted, people are laying in the streets and begging for food; this is my world.

"_And you can change it…"_ She whispers.

"They got into this mess… It's their job to get out on their own…" I murmur.

"_No. The world was fine until I was used. All hell has broken loose because of me. You can change that, however. Just use me."_ My head is starting to ache. I can't tell if it's because of her words or not, but it hurts.

"No…" I close the curtain and look away.

Why was my head aching so badly? What as this ringing sound in my ears?

I don't feel well all of a sudden. My eye sight is starting to go dark and fuzzy and things around me are hard to hear. It's like my ears are full of cotton. I walked back over to the couch by the projector and sat down. I suddenly felt so clammy and cold, and even though my temperature was so low, I felt like I was sweating. Feeling the skin on my arm I noticed I was. I was in a cold sweat, and the room was so warm.

I want to ask the Shinrabansou what's wrong, but I'm starting to pant. I can't seem to say anything unless it's mumbled and I can't raise my voice. It feels like (And it's not a good explanation as to what I'm feeling) I've gone dumb. I know the world is going on around me, but I don't seem to process that thought right.

I look over to Yoite and try calling out to him, hoping to wake him up, but it's not working. I can't get my voice to come out. I try to stand, but my legs buckle under me and I fall to the floor.

"Y… Hng…" I can't say anything. What's wrong with me? It's like I'm in a nightmare, one where you can't scream, no matter how hard you try or where you run as fast as you can for as long as you can, but you don't go anywhere.

I grasp at the blanket hanging off of the edge of the bed and pull. I can barely move it even an inch. I gasp, trying to muster up strength to call for help.

"Y-Yoite…" I mutter. I don't know if he heard me. Hell, I barely heard myself. I try again. "Yoite…!"

It feels like I'm screaming, but I know I'm not. I'm barely whispering. Like I said before, it feels as if I've gone dumb. I'm not processing things right and I don't seem to realize it.

I gasp for air and yank on the blanket as hard as I can before I fall against the ground. I can't stay up straight anymore. I'm tired and I'm nauseous all at the same time. I feel like I'm going to vomit and at the same time I feel like I'm going to pass out.

My head is heavy and muffled with something. I feel cold and my skin is wet with sweat. My eye sight is dark and blurry and the only thing I see is just the blur of light from the hologram.

'_Somebody… Help me…' _I don't know if I said this out loud or not. I can't hear anything. All I know is that I mouthed the words. That's all I am sure of.

"_Memories are a fickle thing, my young Miharu." _Miss Fairy says.

Is this her doing? Is she causing this pain? Is it because I won't do what she wants?

I feel a hand on my shoulder. It's shaking enough as it is, pushing my shoulder. I can't tell if my eyes are open anymore, because its pitch black, so I can't see what or who it is. I can hear something, but it's too blurry. Someone is saying something, that's all I know.

My body is numb, so I can't possibly feel everything, but I know my body is moving. I don't feel the hard ground under me anymore, but I don't know what I feel under me. Is anything even under me?

I blink a few times, noticing the darkness fading. I see more light, but it's still too blurry to connect something to anything. The pain in my head is dulling, I can hear more and I don't feel as nauseous.

Whatever just happened to me is starting to go away. The pain came so quickly, but it's leaving just as fast. There's the sensation of something cold going down my throat; by the taste I'm guessing it's water. I choke on it a little and blink a few more times. I can see the outlines of people, and after a few more times of blinking, I can tell who they are.

"Yoite…" My voice is back. Yoite is hovering over me. My head is pressed against his chest and his arms are around me. His expression is one filled his panic and distress.

"Miharu," He leans forward and presses his head to mine. His breathing is shaking and cold and fans across my face with the scent of that lemon scented water. Or maybe that's just my breath. I'm panting as much as he is shaking.

"Miharu, are you alright?" I turn my head as much as I can with Yoite still resting his head against me and see Hana sitting beside us. She has a bottle of water in her hand and I'm assuming that's why I tasted it. When did she even get here? "Can you hear me?"

I nod my head at her, prompting Yoite to lift his up. I can see tears pooling together near the edges of his eyes, but he's trying hard not to cry. I lift a shaking hand up to touch his cheek and he gives me a sheepish and weak smile.

"What… Happened…?" I ask.

"I just got here, I don't know myself." Hana holds the water bottle up to my lips and I gratefully take a sip of the drink.

"I woke up and he was on the ground…" Yoite's voice is shaking too.

"I suddenly felt so sick… My head was heavy and I started sweating…" My mind is still a little foggy, but now it feels like everything is fresh to memory, even though I felt like I was dreaming.

Hana picks up my arm and runs her hand over it. She pales in complexion

"You're soaked!" She shrieks. So I really was sweating. I had a moment of relapse where I thought I was just imagining the sweat. "Your blood sugar must have dropped. Did you eat last night?" Hana asks.

I have no idea what blood sugar is, but I nod my head. She doesn't bother to ask what I ate. She lifts her purse from her side and goes digging around in it. She pulls out a small piece of something hidden behind a type of plastic. Again there are more words I can't read.

"Eat this. It'll make you feel better." She says. I sit up within Yoite's arms, still leaning against him as I take the plastic from her. I bite down on it, and I have no freaking clue why, because it tastes like shit. "No, take the wrapper off first," She says.

I do as she says and pull the plastic, what she calls a wrapper, off of the object under it. There's a piece of something brown under it, something that smells heavenly. I bite down on it and instantly the taste floods my mouth. I can feel myself drool within my mouth and the sweet taste makes my eyes widen and my senses heighten. Oh yeah, I'm feeling one hundred percent better.

"What is this?" I mumbled with half of this bar in my mouth.

"It's chocolate." She says. I eat this _"chocolate bar"_ faster than I've ever eaten anything in my life. I've suffered from starvation and dehydration and even then I didn't eat as fast as I ate this stupid thing.

"It's wonderful," I thank the chocolate bar gods.

"I know it is and I'm sorry, but we have to go." Hana says and stands. Yoite stands too and pulls me up by the arm.

"Go where…?" I wipe my mouth off as Yoite laces his hand with mine and pulls me along with Hana.

"The rebels have already broken out. We're heading to a safe house now." Hana quickly hands a coat to Yoite and he puts it on. She does the same for me and I put it on as well, adding the hood so no one can see my face.

"Already…?" I swear that just five minutes ago everything was fine and dandy, but apparently not.

"Yes. It's not safe here anymore." Without even giving him the time to argue or change his mind, Hana pulls a scarf out from her jacket and tosses it around Yoite's neck. It's loose, but it covers his neck and chin. I can feel him tense beside me, but Hana is already yanking us out of the room and down the hall. I prepare myself for the elevator, but she pulls Yoite and I to the emergency stairs to get out.

Just as she does, I hear the sounds of screaming behind me. Some people are running out of their rooms. Others are barging in and breaking doors down. I see what she means by this place isn't safe.

But I don't understand why people are freaking out. The rebels broke out, okay, but does that justify acting like a homicidal maniac and breaking into people's rooms? I just don't get it.

We burst through the emergency exit and I see the chaos that has already ensiled half of the city. People are frantically running around, screaming, crying and fleeing from people after them. Some people are being attacked by others; are the attackers the rebels?

I'm yanked along by Yoite who is forced into holding Hana's hand. She pulls us onto the hellish streets and down them. I don't know where we're going and I don't care. My eyes are wide with fear as I watch what is unfolding in front of me.

"_Welcome to the world humans and I have created."_ The Shinrabansou says to me.

Trackers are corning innocent people. Some of the innocent are being shot down. I want to stop and help them, but I can't. Hana and Yoite won't let me go and I know I can't fight them. I want to help. I don't want them to die, but what can I do? I'm powerless.

There's a scream ahead of us. I look in front of us to see a family getting dragged out of their home.

"_Does it not impress to see how corruption takes over the mind?" _Bullets are let loose and the father is shot down.

Yoite stumbles behind me and falls. I looked back to see someone in a Tracker suit holding Yoite's ankles. He's struggling and my anger boils.

"Let him go!" I screech. I grab a random piece of ply word that was on the ground and, with all my strength, I knock it into the head of the person holding onto him. There is a sickly bad sound of the wood breaking against their skin and blood hitting the ground and I drop the wood.

What have I done?

"_You are also susceptible to corruption." _She says. I can hear Hana's voice in the distance as someone grabs me from behind. They wrap their arms around me under my arms and start pulling me away from Yoite who is staggering to get back on his feet.

"Get off of me, motherfucker!" I bark. I thrash around in this person's arms, kick and scream and claw at their arms, but they're in Trackers uniforms. I can't get to them.

I throw my head back, hitting them in the face with the back of my skull, and while their grip loosens, I still can't get free. They're pulling me away, dragging me to an alleyway. I scream at the top of my lungs, but I can't do it. I'm too weak.

"Yoite…!" I see him getting pulled in the same direction is me; to the alleyway. He's too weak to fight much and there are two people holding him. One has his legs while the other has him under the arms like me.

"Get him in here!" I hear someone yell. I thrash around to turn in his arms and see where they're pulling me. At the end of an alley way is another Tracker with the lid to a sewer open.

My heart is pounding, my head is hurting and my throat is dry and raw from screaming. I don't want Yoite to die. _I_ don't want to die.

They pull me to the hole in the ground and I thrash even more. If I die, I'm putting up one hell of a fight.

I look back to Yoite and see him trying to fight too. He's kicking his legs and pulling at the arms around his chest, but the people who have him won't quit either. One of them, the one holding his chest, covers his mouth with their hand. He screams into their hand, but it's muffled.

I can't be any more enraged than I am right now.

I toss my elbow back, effectively hitting the person in their face. I hear them grunt and when they go to cover my mouth, trying to stop me from screaming, I bite down on their hand. He screams now as I bite as hard as I can.

"Get him off me!" They cry for help. The one holding the sewer cap open steps up to get me. They pull my hand back, forcing it until it hurts so much that I can't help but cry in pain. They pry me out of his arms and throw me to the ground. My head hits the metal texture of the sewer hole and even before I can get up, there is a hand pulling me down into the hole.

I fall into the sick smelling sewers and into the arms of someone else. I'm blinded by darkness, the only light being the top of the sewer hole. I look up to see Yoite be lowered down in here as well.

"Leave him alone!" I beg. I scratch at the hands around my body which are bare. I do well at making the person behind me bleed, but it's not enough. They aren't letting go.

The two Trackers from above fall in and the last of the light fades when one, the one I beat the crap out of, closes the lid. The other turns on a flashlight and points it at me.

"Miharu, it's just us!" I know that voice.

The man in his suit pulls off his mask, and I won't lie and say I'm not surprised to see Thobari. I still in this person's arms, watching in disbelief as he shines the light over to the other man and looks at him.

"Are you alright?" He asks. The man pulls off his mask, and it's none other than Yukimi under it.

"Are you out of your god damn mind, kid?" He barks at me. I feel a wave of guilt wash over me, seeing blood seeping from his nose and a split in his lip. I won't lie again and say I'm not just a little bit pleased with myself for doing that much damage.

Yukimi rips off his glove and looks at his hand.

"You bit through my glove!" He shouts and his voice cracks at the high pitch.

I turn my head to see that Kouichi is the one holding me. He gives me an impish grin before letting me go. I watch Kouichi rub his hands, wincing at the sting.

"That kind of hurt…" He whines.

"You're such a delicate flower, Kouichi." Behind him are Shijima and Hana. When did she even get down here?

"Isn't that what you should be saying to me?" Hana asks.

"Hey! What the hell is going on here?" I ask in panic.

"Did you not tell him?" Thobari asks.

"No. When I got to their room, Miharu was out cold on the floor." Hana explains.

"What?" Thobari paces over to me and grabs me by the shoulders. "Were you sick? Were you tired? Did you pass out? Are you feeling alright?"

He keeps asking so many questions that I can't keep up with him. I instead ignore him and look for Yoite. He's leaning against one of the walls, breathless and tired. I pushed past Thobari and help Yoite over my shoulder, giving him a concerned look.

"I'm okay…" He mumbles.

"I'm sorry. I was going to tell you, but it took an hour minutes for Miharu to recover. I knew we were running out of time." Hana apologizes.

An _hour_? I was out for an hour? Why did time go by so fast? Did I really pass out?

"It's alright," Yukimi goes boneless for her and waves it off like it's nothing.

"I want to know right now why Miharu had passed out!" Thoarbi wails.

"I think it was his blood sugar. It must have rapidly dropped and dangerously too." Hana explains. "I gave him some chocolate and he went right back to being okay."

"Didn't you eat last night?" Kouichi asks.

"I did," I answer.

"Look, I don't want to change the subject here, but other people are going to come down here looking for an escape. We need to go and now." Shijima joins in. Kouichi quickly agrees with her and then everyone else joins in.

I don't care about them. I look to Yoite and wait for his answer. He pulls on the scarf around his neck, loosening it after his struggle before nodding his head.

"Alright, let's go…" I say. "But… Where are we going?" I ask.

"You'll see." Yukimi pats Yoite's head as he and the others start forward. I help Yoite off of the wall and most of his weight sits on my shoulders.

He walks with a limp, no doubt from the struggle we just went through, but I help him through it. I admit that I have a headache from bashing my head against Yukimi's nose. It's not as serious as Yoite, but it still hurts.

Yukimi pulls out his own flashlight and turns it on. Kouichi and Shijima are prepared with their own and Hana is given one by Thobari.

"Stay between us, boys." Hana murmurs in her calm voice. Yoite and I stand in the middle of this group, walking through the sewer pipe with only the flashlights to guide us. I hear Hana start to grumble, obviously unhappy with being down here. Thobari reprimands her, telling her it's alright and we'll be there soon, but where will we be?

Where are we going and why? I don't like this crap anymore. I don't like these mind games or these secrets. I want answers… Damn it.

Yoite coughs beside me and I stop for a moment to check on him. He shakes his head, mumbling a small assuring word for me, but I don't like it.

"We're almost there. I know you're tired right now, but you can get some rest when we're safe." Yukimi says.

"Are we there yet?" I ask.

"No," Thobari answers. Two feet later.

"How about now?"

"No," Thobari replies. Two more feet later.

"Now…?"

"No, Miharu." I can tell he's becoming irritated. I stay quiet for at least a minute.

"Are we there yet?"

"God damn it! Would you shut the hell up?" Yukimi whines.

"Well are we there yet?" I ask.

"Yes," Thobari says.

"Really…?" I perk up.

"No." He says.

"I'm going to scratch someone's eyes out." Shijima groans.

"_I live with this kid."_ The Shinrabansou says. I sigh and lean my head against Yoite's.

Ever so quietly, quiet enough that no one would hear him unless they were as close as I was; I can hear him laughing in his throat. I smile and if I could, I'd kiss him. The flashlights emit too much light, though, so I can't.

When was the last time I got to kiss him?

The rest of the walk is quiet. I got bored of playing the "Are We There Yet?" game, so I simply pay close attention to my walking and Yoite. It takes us a few more minutes, but to my surprise, we reach an ending in the sewer.

There is a door. It's metal and rusty with cobwebs clinging to the door; it looks like it hasn't been touched in years. Yukimi puts away his flashlight in his holster and knocks on the door. There's a long pause, at least thirty seconds. He goes to knock again, but a little hatch opens on the door and a pair of eyes glare at us. The pair of gray eyes stare at us for a moment, sharp and disconcerting.

"Password…?" A voice asks. What is this, an action move?

"Cut the crap, Kotou. You know it's us." Yukimi grumbles. The eyes shift to Yoite and I.

"What about them?" The voice, Kotou as Yukimi called him, asks.

"You won't believe me, but what the hell. The little one is the Shinrabansou and the taller one is a Kira user. They're on our side." Yukimi says and rubs the back of his neck.

Those eyes look skeptical, even without the face to show the emotional. The hatch shuts and there's an absurd amount of locking sounds. The door opens with an insane amount of force and a taller man stands before us. He grunts as he pushes the rusty door open, revealing a small room behind it filled with books. He stands up straight, wipes he arm against his forehead and sighs with a smile.

"Well then come on in!" He chirps. I honestly didn't except to see such a smiling, happy person behind the door. He seemed so cold just by the look in his eyes. I guess I was wrong.

Yoite and I are pushed in first. The others follow in and then pull the doors shut. Katou locks the doors, and once they're locked, everyone relaxes.

"We should be safe for now." Thobari sighs as he falls into a nearby chair. Hana does the same, falling beside him and resting her head on his shoulder.

… Them? Really? They have nothing in common!

"What on Earth happened to you, Yukimi?" Katou asks as he hands him a rag.

"The little devil child beat the shit out of me, that's what happened." He answers as he presses the rag to his head.

"You got your ass handed to you by an adolescent teenager." Shijima mumbles.

"Aw shut the hell up!" Yukimi gripes.

"_Your life is definitely an entertaining one…"_ Miss fairy mumbles. Katou walks over to Yoite and I and smiles at us.

"Hi there, Miharu. My name is Katou." He introduces.

"How do you know my name?" I ask.

"Most people within the rebellion know of you, Miharu." He says. I frown and turn my head to Yoite.

"Fame pays its prices." I murmur. He smiles weakly at me. "So where are we?" I look back to Katou and ask. He gives me a puzzled expression, as if not expecting the question, before realizing that I probably don't understand. He nods his head, a hum escaping him as he walks away and to a bookshelf.

Just like one would see in the movies, he pulls on a book. I hear a clicking sound and he pulls at the edge of the shelf, easily moving the bookshelf out of place. There's a door behind it, which he opens to reveal a long, open area with many people hidden away in it.

"Welcome to the rebel camps!" He says.

* * *

**A/N: Hey people, I have got something to say. That blood sugar thing is real. I've had it happen to me at a bank, which makes it funny because those people at the bank were probably like, "What is this girl trying to get away with?" XD But it's a serious thing. If your blood sugar drops that fast it results in what Miharu dealt with. :3 Tada? XD**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Geh, I feel like these chapters are so short lately. Y_Y Meh, I'm sorry, but if it makes you feel any better, this fanfic will be my main focus for a while. I'll have others working, but nothing long term that takes up too much of my time. While I'm still working on a new fanfic, I'm not uploading that one for a while. I'm going to do with that one what I did to Misfortunes and finish the series, then upload it.^^ Hope that makes things easier. Work is so much lately, but that's okay. I can handle it! *dramatic pose***

**So for this chapter, you can see that I took some lines, moments and stuff from the anime. I don't own the anime (I wish I did) I'm just using moments. I own nothing. XD Hopefully you don't mind that. But hey! Look whose here! ...**

**Well I'm not saying it here. XD**

**Song of the day:**

**Number 9 by T-Ara**

**Alright! See you all next week! Remember to please keep reviewing and telling me how things are going! :D**

**-Misty**

* * *

**Potent****  
****Chapter 5:**

**This is the Rebellion?**

This whole room, this underground area that is more like a decked out cave, is filled to the brim with people. All of them are thin to some frightening extent. They had bruises, broken limbs, missing limbs, and open wounds. They look like they've been tortured, and that's probably what happened to them.

It wouldn't surprise me if all of the people got these injuries just from being upstairs and getting attacked. I wonder if any of these people came down here looking for an escape and found the rebellion.

"These people are all part of the rebellion?" I ask, a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of people there are.

"Many people have been hurt by Kotaro. These are only a fraction of who he's taken away." Thobari places a hand on my shoulder as he speaks. I look around at all of the people, noticing that it's not just adults that are here. There are women and children, babies and elders. Kotaro would really show no clemency for them?

"_We had some understanding when things first began, but like I said, corruption ruins people." _The Shinrabansou says to me.

My eyes fall to Yoite who is standing by me. He's hiding it as carefully as he can, but he has his hand within mine behind our backs. I can feel him tensing beside me, almost like he's afraid of all of these people. That or he's overwhelmed by the number of people like me. Yoite had never been that good of a people's person.

I look away from him and see Yukimi walking past us. He's got a rather odd, but worried look on his face. It's as if he's looking for something, or someone. My questions are answered when his face brightens up upon seeing someone.

I look in the direction he's looking, hoping to find out who it is. It isn't hard to tell who he is looking at, because she looks almost exactly like him. Her blond hair is up into a bun behind her head and she's got a base coat I've seen Trackers wear. I can see bruises lining her neck and shoulders, but that's all I can see. Her shirt and coat cover up the rest. I'm not sure if she got the bruises from the rebellion or something else either.

"Kazuho!" Yukimi calls out. The girl he is speaking to turns her head, and as soon as she sees him she smiles. She stands up from the crate she was sitting on and runs over to us. She throws her arms around him in a big hug, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Big brother! I'm so glad you're okay!" She says and pulls back to see his face. "W-What happened to your nose?" She asks while pressing her fingers to it, observing the obvious bruises and little tidbits of blood still dripping from his nose.. Yukimi groans and rolls his eyes in my direction.

"The little devil did it." He grumbles. Kazuho looks at me with her big blue eyes, but she only smiles when seeing me.

"So you're Rokujo Miharu." She says. I nod my head.

Great, people already know who I am.

"Miharu, this is my little sister, Kazuho." Yukimi introduces. I give a weak smile in her direction.

"Sorry about your brother's nose." I mumble. She gives a happy, light-hearted laugh.

"Don't worry about it, Miharu. With how hot-headed my brother is sometimes, it wouldn't surprise me if he had it coming to him." She says.

"Kazuho…" Yukimi growls. She giggles in response and I can't help but laugh at her.

"So, Miharu, what is it like being the Shinrabansou?" She asks me. I shrug my shoulders.

"Uh… I don't know really. Nothing about me has changed." I say. She nods her head and hums.

"I see, but something must have. You have infinite knowledge coursing through your body as we speak." She says and her hands begin to move as she lets off her enthusiasm. "How does your body hold all of it? Is it a mental will power or a physical emptiness? What, what I ask!" She blurts out.

"Ignore her, Miharu. She's a doctor and easily gets distracted by stuff like that." Yukimi says.

"It's okay," I mumble.

"I'm so curious though! I want to know! Miharu, would you ever be willing to let me do experiments on you?" She asks.

"Huh?"

"It wouldn't be much, just some skin samples and what not." She clasps her hands over the one that isn't preoccupied by Yoite's hand and pulls me close. "Oh please, oh please, oh please!" She begs in a whine.

Yoite steps in front of me and throw an arm in front of me. Kazuho startles and steps back, but when seeing who it is standing in front of her, she smiles.

"Yoite…? Is that really you?" She asks. I see the frown on Yoite's face, almost like he regrets stepping in front of me.

"Yep, that's him." Yukimi says.

"Look how tall you've gotten!" She awes. "You're taller than me now!" And I'm smaller than her. Which is worse?

"Kazuho was like Yoite's personal doctor." Yukimi explains. She tries touching his face, but Yoite keeps flinching away from her.

"Your complexion is better since I saw you last. Have you been eating? You're still as thin as when you were sixteen." She sighs and pats his shoulders.

"Do you know how much my Engels Coefficient has gone up within the past couple of days because of these two?" Yukimi asks, irritated.

"No, but when you're raising kids that tends to happen." Kazuho says. I sigh and turn my head. Raising kids? Is that what he's doing for us? I never asked to be taken care of, just Yoite. All I want is for him to get better.

That's all I want.

"Miharu…?" I hear someone call my name. I turn my head to the side to see a boy a little taller than me. His body is a little filled out, so he's been lucky to get food, but the malnutrition he's suffered from over the years shows in his face by the way the skin clings to his round cheek bones and sharp chin. His big, black eyes are looking at me with an odd, hopeful look as he brushes his short hair from his face. It takes me a minute to realize who this is, but when I do, it's like a slap in the face, because his appearance is shocking.

"Gau?" I ask while my mouth hangs open.

"It is you!" He runs forward and wraps his arms around me. My first response is to pull away, hating the fact that someone other than Yoite is touching me, but I had been worried for him since I last saw him being dragged away by Trackers. I was certain they didn't kill him, but I still had my doubts about what they'd do to him. I guess I can let this one slide.

"I didn't think I'd see you here." I say as I pull away from the hug.

"Neither did I! I was sure they killed you, but I guess they didn't." His smile is big and bright and makes me feel better somehow.

"They didn't kill you either, but they did cut your hair." I say and frown at the short hair on his head. He rubs his hand into his hair and chuckles nervously.

"Yeah, but I'm glad that's all they cut. Had they suspected me of anything else, well then I would have been in a lot more trouble." He says

"So… You're part of this rebellion too?" I ask hesitantly.

"Yeah, I am." He says. "I wanted to tell you before, because I thought it'd save you, but we were in the eyes of the Trackers so I couldn't." He frowned for a moment, but when he looked back up to me, he smiled and playfully hit my shoulder. "But hey! We're alive now. That's all that matters, right?"

He says this so enthusiastically that I can't help but smile. I nod my head and playfully hit him back.

"Yeah, everything worked out in the end." I say. It's now that Gau seems to notice Yoite quietly standing behind me.

"Oh, Yoite! You're alive too!" He nearly cheers. "I'm so glad!" Yoite looks away, pulling his scarf up to cover his lower face.

"_He won't be for long…"_ Miss Fairy murmurs.

"Who asked you?" I hiss. The sound is missed by the others, but not Yoite.

"It's good to see you…" Yoite mumbles. I smile and squeeze his hand. I'm glad he's, at least, trying.

"Oh, Miharu, Yoite; I want you to meet someone!" Gau grabs my hand and suddenly yanks me into the huge crowd of people. I inevitably take Yoite with me, seeing as neither he nor I are letting go. "He saved me years back and he's been taking care of me since!" He chirps.

"Sounds important…" I mumble.

"Oh he is. Plus he's what's leading half of the rebellion squads." Gau states apprehensively.

"So he's kind of like the leader?" I ask.

"Well, technically, but the real leader is the Shinrabansou, right Miharu?" Gau flashes me a big smile and says. Does he even know I've become the Shinrabansou, or is this just coincidental?

Gau yanks both of us through the crowd of people, the cacophony of them talking hurting my ears. I can hear people cheering as they find their loved ones. I hear others cry when hearing sullen news. The mixed emotions in the atmosphere are crazy. I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad for people.

"Raikou!" Gau calls out, startling me from my thoughts. I looked ahead for any possible person that could be who Gau is talking to, and I only see three people who respond to the name.

One is Kouichi. I don't know how this boy moves as fast as he does, but he is standing next to a guy who has got to be as tall as Yoite. His hair is a flashy pink color and his eyes are a tepid brown. Standing next to him is a little girl, and I remember her face. She was one of the rebels I saw on the projector a month ago; the small, teal haired girl who looked to be five.

It's obviously not Kouichi or the girl, so it has to be the pink haired man. Just as I think that, the one he called Raikou gives Gau a warm hearted smile and a hug as the boy jumps into his arms.

"There you are. I was wondering where you went off to." Raikou says into his short hair.

"I'm sorry, Raikou, but look who I found!" Gau points back to me and Yoite and Raikou looks up in a rather odd way. He has a smile, one like he gave Gau, but his eyes are giving off a totally different emotion than before.

"Ah, Rokujo Miharu, the new Shinrabansou," He says. I don't see Gau react oddly to the news of me being the Shinrabansou, so I can safely assume that he already knows. Raikou walks over to me and holds out his hand. I shake it weakly as he looks at me with a funny grin. "Thobari has told me so much about you. I finally get to meet you. It's a pleasure." He says.

"It's nice to meet you too, Raikou." I say. This close up, I can tell that this man has the sense of fashion like a runaway model. His clothes are so bright; it surprises me that no one saw him come down here. He's got a samurai sword on his right hip, dangling by a few small charms and tags hanging off of his belt. What a way to finish the outfit.

"And you must be Yoite, right?" Raikou holds out a hand for Yoite to shake as he says his name, but Yoite doesn't shake his hand. He clings onto the back of my jacket again, as if making it seem that his hand is too busy to shake Raikou's hand. Raikou pulls his hand away and clears his throat. "Yukimi has told me about you as well. A Kira user was it? Well, he neglected to mention how handsome you are as well."

… What did he just say?

"Raikou," Gau whines and pulls at his sword.

"I'm sorry; I'm just making light conversation, that's all." He says as he shrugs his shoulders.

Light conversation my ass! He just hit on Yoite!

"_Jealousy is as green as your eyes, my young Miharu." _Miss fairy muses.

"So you're the leader of this rebellion?" I ask. I'm going to do my damn best to keep his attention off of Yoite and on me instead.

"Well I'd say I'm more like a corporal. I call many shots, but the one who controls us all is you, Miharu." He says. Again with that crap. He makes it sound like if I screw up, the whole world is doomed.

"_Well that is the case, Miharu. If you mess up, everyone else suffers for it."_

"I'll do my best, sir." I mumble. He laughs heartedly and pats my head.

"Don't be so scared, Miharu. We all have confidence in you. We know that whatever you do will be in our favor." He says.

"_Wouldn't be in my favor?"_

"Alright," I mumble.

"We'll all behind you, Miharu!" Kouichi chimes in.

"Me too!" The teal haired girl says. I look down at her, noticing the squeak in her young voice. "Oh, I'm sorry! Where are my manners?" She asks herself and pats at her knee-length, green dress. "My name is Jyuji and I'm one of the doctors here," She explains.

Doctors? How old is this girl? I want to ask her, but something stops me.

"_Shinrabansou!_" A voice bellows. I, along with Yoite, look over our shoulders to see the crowd around us forming a bit of a circle around someone. There's a girl standing behind us about twenty feet away. She has long blond hair that's pulled into two pony tails on either side of her head. Like Raikou, she has a sword, but it's on her left hip. She has a slight resemblance to him in the eyes and face, but not by much.

I recognize her. Along with Raikou and Jyuji standing by Kouichi, she was one of the people I saw in the lineup on the projector. She's another rebel… But I didn't expect her to seem so young.

"Oh lord, here we go…" I hear Raikou say behind me.

"Um…" Kouichi mumbles. "Is she… Looking at me?" He asks and points to himself.

"Yes you!" She shouts. "I wanna see what you're made of!" She continues and pulls out the katana from her hip. I raise my hand in front of Yoite and push him back, hoping to get out of… Whatever this is. He stumbles behind me, but he quickly regains his composure and then starts pulling me away too.

And just in time. The girl lunges for Kouichi, swinging her katana at him. He jumps out of the way with an audible yelp, barely getting time to get himself together before she goes right back at him. He falls to the ground and she wastes no time in sitting on him, holding her sword over his head with a devious look in her flaring, brown eyes.

"Is this the best you can do, Shinrabansou?" She asks.

"_I thought she was talking to us…" _Miss Fairy mumbles.

"So did I…" I mumble back.

"Shimizu!" Thobari suddenly joins Yoite and I and hollers over the two. Both her and Raikou look up at him.

So she's related to Raikou, huh? You'd never know…

"What?" She asks curtly.

"You've got the wrong person." Yukimi is standing by Thobari when he grumbles. The blond girl's eyes widen slightly and she looks down at Kouichi who is sweating with anxiety and holding up his arms in defense from her sword, which is nearly inches from his face.

"You aren't the Shinrabansou?" She asks.

"N-No! The Shinrabansou is over there!" He cries and points at me.

Oh thanks a lot Kouichi.

"What?" She exclaims and jumps up from his body to run to me. "This is the new Shinrabansou; this scrawny, short prepubescent girl?" She asks.

…

"Reimai, that's enough." Raikou says and pats her head, ruffling her blond hair. "It's an honorable thing you're doing, but trying to maim the poor kid isn't going to get you anywhere." He says to her.

"It's our job as members of the Shimizu to protect the Nabari world! I'm not letting some short girl ruin what's left of us!" She yells.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." I say.

I feel Yoite shake behind, and I turn around to make sure he's okay, but to my surprise, he's smiling and… Laughing? He's covering his mouth and looking away, but he's definitely laughing. He better not be laughing at her calling me a girl.

"And Miharu is fully capable of doing so. Give Miharu some time to get used to all of this going on." Thobari assures.

"If you haven't noticed, Thobari sensei, we've given plenty of people plenty of time, and look where that's gotten us." Reimai says. "I don't want to stand by and watch more people suffer!"

"So you don't trust me." I speak up. This gets her attention. She looks over at me with her angry eyes, but she can tell that I'm not fooling around by my own, angry look I give her.

"No, I don't." She says. "So what? Does that hurt your feelings?" She asks in a sarcastic remark. I smirk and put a hand on my hip.

"No. Honestly, I don't need more people tying me down." I say. Her smile is gone, replaced with an impish frown. She honestly wasn't expecting that kind of answer from me.

"What did you say?" She asks.

"I don't care if you trust me. I don't need your trust. It's not going to help me anyway." I say. I feel Yoite tense behind me, but the tension in the air is far worse than his. Everyone's eyes are on me, including Reimai's. Boy, she does not look happy.

"Miharu-" Thobari starts.

"Getting people's trust isn't what I'm supposed to do. I'm supposed to protect both worlds. If I have to break trust to protect someone, then so be it. It'd be better to keep you at distance… You'll be safer that way." My final words seem to catch her off guard.

"_Always putting others first. You aren't as apathetic as you used to be." _The Shinrabansou says.

I turn away from her and the few shocked others behind her and look at Yoite. He doesn't seem too interested in what I said, but then again, he looks a little more stricken with laughter to say anything.

"Let's get out of here. I'm tired." I mumble and start pulling him away. I'm fully prepared to leave, but then I remember something. I turn on my heel and look at Reimai. She's talking with Kouichi, who seems livid to talk to her and not get beaten by her.

"Hey, Reimai," I call to her. She turns to look at me. She doesn't seem as angry at me anymore, but I can't say she looks happy with me either.

"What…?" She asks.

"By the way…" I click my tongue and pull on the edge of my jacket and shirt to show off my collar bone. "I'm a guy."

She seems way too surprise by that information for her own good. Her eyes go wide and her cheeks blush and for a moment I wonder if I showed too much. I instantly get a tug from Yoite's hand and he pulls me away.

"_The color of jealousy isn't as complimenting on him as it is on you." _Miss Fairy coos. I roll my eyes as Yoite tugs me alone into the crowd of people.

* * *

**A/N: I thought it would be funny. XD**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay, so before we begin, I wanted to tell you that it's been getting difficult to write this story lately. It's not that I don't love it, but normally I have an idea of where my stories are going to go... I don't with this. :1 I have some ideas, but how to get to some of those, and how I want this to end; none of it is in my head. So I'm saying now hat if I miss a week update, it may be because I have no idea what I want to write, even if it meant saving my life. Watch, not I'll update on time every week. XD I just wanted to say that. ****I also want to say sorry for such short chapters lately. They are kind of boring and lacking, but these are important chapters to bring up characters and get some stories in. I promise to pick things up in the next to chapters... I hope. :'3**

**And look at that! Character updates! Look who ish here. ;3 More problems. Small, like I said, but it's important. We need to get things going, right? XD Okay, enough of my babbling. Get to the reading!**

**-Misty**

* * *

**Potent****  
****Chapter 6:**

**All I've Ever Wanted**

* * *

We had spent days down in that rebel camp. I don't know how many and I don't know how long, because everything blurred together in the strangest of ways. I just know it must have been past a week before we could leave.

In the days we spent there, I was taken to dozens of rebel meetings, at the least. I don't know why, because no one ever called on me, talked to me, or even remotely _looked_ at me. Yukimi had said I should be there to hear about all of the plans, but I couldn't care less. Time spent there was time spent away from Yoite, and then, to add to the discomfort of being away from him, I was ganged up on by so many people, asking me so many questions and begging for answers, answers I didn't have for them. I only answered a few out of the hundreds there were, which was not enough to appease these poor people.

Then, of course, there was Reimai. She must have come after me with that katana of hers several times. I don't get her deal. Raikou said that was she was doing was honorable, and I can see that she's worried for the future, but so am I.

I'm not capable of doing this. I can't do this. I'm not strong, I'm not overly smart, and I'm just one person. What could I possibly do? What could some sixteen year old who was forced into this world do to keep the universe intact?

I want to ask someone for help, but who? The only people who have any good ideas or opinions are dead, the people around me who have some clues as to the situation won't help me, and that leaves me with the Shinrabansou. Whoopee.

_"Oh, Miharu, you're so cruel."_

"Shut up..." I growl.

I need help. I need someone I can talk to, someone who can answer my hundreds of questions and give me a damn break, but there is no one like that for me. Besides Yoite, I am utterly alone.

_"You could always bring back your deceased mother and ask her."_ Miss Fairy suggests. I completely ignore her and look to Yoite on the bed.

He's sleeping peacefully. He's under the heavy blanket and in some warm pajamas that were in the bag Hana had given us. His head is barely poking out of the top of the blanket, leaving his nose out so he can breathe. His eyes are gently closed and his black hair is strewn against the soft of his face. That's all of him that shows though.

I smile in his direction, but I inwardly frown. It's been a few says since we got to the hotel, and that's fine, but these past few days, he's been quiet. Yoite normally is quiet, but with this silence, he let off a dangerous feeling, and what was worse, he let it off at me. I don't know why.

He was fine before we left. It was a few minutes before we left, Hana and Kazuho were gawking over him and his health, and Gau, Kouichi, and Reimai were all talking all at once around me. Kouichi seemed glued to the girl now, no doubt some sort of crush was developing. Gau was talking about Raikou, as per the usual. I wasn't listening to them all too much; the Shinrabansou was talking away in my ear and I didn't need three other people doing the same. Something about the amount of burden these poor people carried and blah, blah, blah.

I looked away from them and tuned them out, seeing as how I was no longer the focal point of their conversation or attention. I looked around to the rebels instead. Being around this many people for more than a week, I guess I could say I'm happy that I recognize some of them. I know everyone's face by now, but putting the names to them is difficult. I've learned of Miss Oda, a previous leader to the fallen Togakoshi clan. She's apparently very important.

Then there's Saraba. She's Jūji's sensei and also the new leader of the fallen Fuuma (fallen after Kotarou's rise to power). She's done her best to keep them going, and with Raikou's help and Reimai's protection, they're starting to reappear in the Nabari world. I got to talk to her and Jūji, and it seems that Jūji has taken a liking to me. I don't know why, but she likes to talk to me. At least she talks to me like I'm a normal person without serious responsibilities. She treats me like a human, and I can't thank her enough for that.

I had turned to look for Yoite again, but someone caught my eyes. I saw them, far in the crowd and standing by themselves. So far off, I couldn't see the details of them. I looked back to the others and when I noticed that they weren't paying any attention to me, I slipped away to get a better look at this person. After getting through half of the crowd between us, I finally can get enough of their details.

I know this person, but not personally. I saw him on the projector, one of the rebels in the lineup. He wasn't here a few days ago, I know because I would have seen him, but he's here now. Him with his short, black hair and those big, blue eyes that seemed awfully familiar. He was taller than me, but not by much. I definitely remember his face, because I remembered thinking that he resembled Yoite.

What was his name again? It's been a month and I felt like I had the name on the tip of my tongue. What was it?

"Is everything alright?" Jūji had asked me. I looked away from this boy and down to her. She was standing by my side, her fingers twiddling behind her back and a wide smile on my face.

"Oh, y-yeah. Sorry, I spaced out." I said to her.

"Is something on your mind?" She asked me and tucked her teal hair behind her ear.

"Um... Jūji, what's that boy's name?" I asked and pointed to him. Jūji looked in his direction and tilted her head.

"Him...? That's Tsukada Kōdō." She answered.

There! That was his name!

"Ah, right," I reply as impassive as ever. I don't want my inner victory to show.

"Why do you ask?" She asked me.

"Uh, I just thought that I knew him." I said. Jūji smiled at me and patted my shoulder. I looked down at her and attempted a smile, something that probably frightened her.

"Do you know anything about him, this, Tsukasa Kōdō?" I asked. Jūji opened her mouth, ready to answer, but a hand suddenly snatched at my wrist and yanked me away. I looked at the person dragging me away, and I saw Yoite. "Y-Yoite-?" I couldn't get out anything before he yanked rather hard on me.

"It's time to go." His voice had been so strict and rough. He sounded angry and upset, so upset, but at me?

I don't know if I did anything wrong. I don't know if I had upset him that day, but obviously he wasn't happy. I tried countering him about it yesterday, but he denied it and hid himself in the bathroom. He's been abnormally quiet ever since.

"Do you think I did anything wrong?" I ask quietly.

_"I don't know. Your world is so different from the world I'm used to. Teenage hormones and emotions are utterly confusing. Anything could have set him off. It may not have been you."_ Miss Fairy answers. I look back at Yoite, watching him shake slightly. I furrow my eyebrows at the sight.

"I thought you were the Shinrabansou, the thing that had the world's wisdom? Don't you know what's going on?" I asked as I step quietly to the bed.

_"Teenagers are a whole new world, far out of my knowledge. If rather keep it that way."_ She answers.

I look down at Yoite, watching as his body shivers in his sleep. Is he cold? Sick? I quickly grab another blanket hanging off of the bed and undo it to set it down on him, but his shivering doesn't subside, however.

"Sick...?" I murmur and press my hand delicately to his forehead. As if on cue, Yoite's blue eyes snap open. I only get the chance to feel his warm skin, warm by a fever and in a cold sweat, before Yoite sits up in a start.

"No!" He cries. I jump in surprise, but I reach out a hand to him as he curls up. He clutches the blankets in his hands so tight that, even with the scars from his Kira technique, I can see his knuckles turn white.

"Yoite," I say, my voice raspy from the surprise.

"No, it's not like that… That isn't right…" He mumbles while covering his face with his other hand. My eyes widen slightly at his words. Is he still sleeping? Is he talking in his sleep? The look in his eyes makes him look like he's asleep, or even worse to think, dead.

They are so foggy, barely a pupil in sight and glazed with defeat. What the hell is this?

"There was never a Sora…" He continues to mumble. "I was the only one there… Wasn't I?" He asks. I open my mouth to answer, but I realize that I don't have an answer.

I don't know how to answer this. I don't know what he's going on about or who this Sora is.

"Was I not there? For sixteen years I didn't have a name… Not until Yukimi called me Yoite…" I grab at Yoite's shoulders and shake him, hoping to get him out of this fog he's in. I don't care if he's asleep or if he's dreaming, I want him to wake up.

He's scaring me.

"Yoite!" I yell out his name.

"It's like I'm some kind of puppet… And no one sees the real me, like I don't even exist." He brings his legs up to his chest, hiding his face behind his hands and boney knees. I grab at his wrists, hoping to expose his face, but he isn't budging.

"Yoite!" I call out.

"It's not like that! It's not like that at all!" He cries.

"Yoite!"

"There was never any Sora to begin with!"

"_Yoite!" _I've never shouted like that, not out of anger or pain, but out of fear and worry.

He's scaring me.

Yoite lifts his head up from his knees. What I hoped to see in his eyes, I don't see. They couldn't look any more dead, even if he really was dead. His skin is pale, the blood gone from his face, making him look lifeless.

"Miharu…?" He says quietly. His voice has become dull and scratchy. Even that sounds dead. He reaches out a hand, aimlessly reaching it forward and away from me. "Where… Are you?"

My eyes widen in fear. He can't see me… Can he?

I grab onto that wondering hand of his and bring it to my face. I cradle his cold hand against my cheek and rub his hand gently, hoping that it does something, _anything._

"I'm right here, Yoite." I say. "Can't you see me?" Why am I asking? I don't want to know the answer.

He doesn't answer. The tears seep down his dull, blue eyes, slip down his pale cheeks, and fall off of his sharp chin and jawline. I swallow down guilt and pain and pull Yoite against me, his face in my shoulder and his tears dripping on my neck.

"Miharu…" He mumbles.

"What is it, Yoite?" I ask, my lips pressing against his ear. Please tell me what it is. I want to know. I want to help you.

"Please save me… I don't want to die…" The words fall so carelessly from his mouth. They drip like venom off of snake fangs, and it's poisoning my heart.

Now I can't think straight. There are so many things going through my head that I can't even answer him.

He's sick. He's dying. I don't know if he can see me and I don't know how long that'll last. He's asking for my help, but what can I do? I'm one person… And I don't know what to do…

"I don't want to die… I just want to disappear…"

Please… Please don't say that…

"Yoite…" I press my face into the crook of his neck, feeling my nose dip into his scar.

What is this? What is he asking of me? _Why_ is he asking this of me? What could I possibly do, and what set this whole thing off to begin with?

I finally feel Yoite's arms wrap around me. They rest against the small of my back, pulling me closer to him. I don't object. Why would I?

"I don't want to leave behind a trace… It should be easy to do… I never really existed from the beginning… I never had a chance…"

That isn't true. I don't care what you or anyone says.

"Yoite…" That's all I can say. I can't say that things we'll be alright, because I don't know that, and I can't say I'll make that happen.

Who would want such a thing; to not die, but to disappear? To not even be a thought, for your soul to never have existed? Why does he want this, and why is he asking me for this?

"_Because you have the power to help him…" _Miss Fairy says. I can imagine her silhouette sitting by us, leaning against the edge of the bed while I hug Yoite and try to bring him comfort.

'_But…'_ I tighten my embrace around him so it hurts even me to cling to him like this. _'I don't want you to disappear…' _

My own tears begin to burn my eyes. I won't let them fall, because I don't want Yoite getting more worked up than he already is. I have to stay strong for him. I pull my head back a little, only to press kisses to the side of his head. I start by his ear, and then move them down to his cheek. I trace my lips against his jawline and then press a lingering kiss to his temple.

All the while, he doesn't move. He lets me do it without protest; he doesn't push me away or verbally abuse me, but he doesn't kiss back either. He sits by, his forehead resting on my shoulder while I try to bring him some comfort.

"_Would you do it?"_ Miss Fairy asks. I ignore her and lift Yoite's head off of my shoulder, just so I can look at him. His eyes have returned to their normal, bright selves. His pupils are wide, nearly kicking away all of the blue his eyes possess, like he's shocked or confused, but he doesn't say anything. His mouth is barely parted, letting out small, shaky breathes. I lean forward and press my lips to his without question or hesitation.

"_Would you erase his existence, if it would make him happy? If it meant that he would smile in the end…?" _

Yoite's hands tighten around me, a tiny sigh escaping him while I run a hand against his chest. I hadn't noticed that I had kept my eyes open when I kissed him, but when he pulled away, his own eyes questioning me on the action, I simply blush. I press against his chest more, my lips finding his before he could say anything. The multiple amounts of pressure have him tipping backwards onto the bed, his head falling softly into the pillow while I hover over him.

"_Or would you live your life a blissful ignorance?"_

* * *

**A/N: ****Hehehe~ Yes, I ended it there. ****Now review. owo... **


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here we go, a nice, long chapter for you guys. ^^ Be sure to read the bottom A/N for important details!**

**Song of the day: Now**

**By: Trouble Maker and Hyuna Kim**

* * *

**Potent****  
****Chapter 7: ****  
****Only One Way**

I can barely register the sounds of something or someone shifting beside me. I pass it off as nothing, letting sleep still cling to me for a bit longer. I want to sleep and delve in the world of peace and happiness for a bit longer, but it was only when the Shinrabansou spoke that I was forced to stay in this cruel world and place that I begrudgingly call home.

_"An Earthquake wouldn't wake you up." _She mutters to me. I groan and toss a pillow over my head, but then I remember that she's in my head. That won't get rid of her for me.

"Shut the hell up for five minutes." I grumble as I turn to lie on my side. I peek out from under the pillow, hoping to see the face of my friend (I don't know if I can call him that anymore), but I see that he's not here. I lift my head up from the bed and look around the room quiet and dark room, but he's not even in here. Where did he go?

I sit up from the bed and pull the blanket to cover my lower body. I shiver, the cold in the dark room creeping into my bones, and without Yoite here to keep me warm, it's utterly useless to try and keep warm. I drop down into the mattress and hide my head into the pillows. I scream into the nearest pillow, getting out my frustrations on what was happening. I know this is my fault, and I did it anyway.

_"Oh you indeed did it."_ Miss Fairy says. I turn my face out of the pillow so I can breathe without the stuffed fabric suffocating me.

"Please tell me you somehow tuned out last night." I beg to her in a whimper.

_"I tried."_ She answers.

"And...?" I ask.

_"China couldn't tune you two out."_ She replies. I hide my face back into the pillow and scream.

I'm such an idiot! Why, why, why? Why did we do it? Why did _I_ do it? I obviously scared him off, and now he's gone! I don't know where he is and I don't know where he could have gone. I really am an idiot; the biggest, most stupid idiot-

"Miharu...?" I lift my head up from my pillow upon hearing Yoite's voice. He's standing by the door of the bathroom, a towel around his neck and sopping up the water dripping from his bangs. He's dressed in warm clothes: a simple gray shirt under a black sweater and a pair of heavy pants. He's drying his hair with the towel, his blue eyes staring down at me with confusion. It's now that I realize that he was simply taking a shower. He hadn't gone anywhere.

_"Yep, you really are an idiot."_ Miss Fairy says.

"Is something wrong?" He asks me. I open my mouth to answer, but some mixture of a strangled choke and squeak comes out instead and I shut it again. I have an answer, but apparently I can't answer. I want to tell him that everything is fine and that I'm alright, but the words are trapped within my throat.

Yoite looks away, a pink blush dusting his cheeks as he steps away from the door and sits down on the farthest corner from me on the edge of the bed. He pulls the towel away and sets it down by his leg while he looks down at the carpet, as if there is something more entertaining there than here. I sit up on my hands and look at him, the blanket slipping down my hips a little. I let out another contorted squeak and pull it back up, and the sound gets Yoite's attention. He turns to look at me, and when our eyes meet, he looks away with his trembling hands resting in his lap and clenching the towel he's picked up.

_'Is he... Shy?'_ I wonder to myself.

_"Definitely shouldn't be. You've both seen plenty of each other last night."_ I roll my eyes at her words and scoot to the end of the bed Yoite's at, bringing the blanket with me. He definitely shouldn't be shy, not around me at least. It's not because of what we did last night that should make him shy, because he's shy in general around me. He shouldn't be, because he can trust me.

I sit on my knees next to him, taking a minute to watch him and his squirming. His ashen-colored fingers are practically ringing the water out of the towel. His cheeks are pink from ear to ear and his breath seems to be coming out in small, quiet pants, so quiet that you'd have to be as close as I am to hear them.

I tilt my head at his odd behavior. Yoite's always done odd things, but this isn't in his character, and rather... Well, _cute_ to say the least. How shy he is acting reminds me of last night. I can remember everything as clear as day, as if it was happening all over again.

The way his lips parted to say my name, the way his hair stuck to his sweat-covered face, the way his back arched and his muscles trembled to even the tiniest of touches, the way he clung to me…

Damn, I really shouldn't be thinking about that when I'm in this position… And still _exposed._

"Miharu-" His voice cracks and he stops. I notice him turn his head away, clearing his throat, and clenching his fists tighter around the towel. I reach out and touch the back of his hand, hoping he'll release the poor, overused fabric and hold my hand instead. He jumps at the contact, his hand pulling away momentarily, but I can tell that he realizes it's just me, and he takes my hand. I lace my fingers with his, and I can feel him stiffen under the contact.

"What's wrong, Yoite?" I ask as calmly as I can. I see him swallow and open his mouth, but he closes it, like he is trying to get the words right in his head. He does this a few times, turning his head in my direction to face me, but looking down to our hands. I move forward, hoping to catch his eye, but he looks away. "Yoite...?"

"D... Do..." He begins. I don't know why I didn't realize it before, probably because it wasn't as prominent earlier, but now I feel it. He's shaking. His hand is trembling within mine and nearly crushing it in his tight grasp.

He's scared.

"Do what, Yoite?" I prompt for an answer. His grip tightens and I distantly wonder if he's trying to break my fingers.

"D... Do you... C-Care...?" His shoulders visibly shake. I try to catch his eye again, and he turns his head, but not fast enough. I see the glimmer and shine of tears at the waterlines of his eyes. He's crying, but why?

"Yoite..." I murmur. I feel him squeeze my hand again and I look down. I see him pressing his legs together, his knees rubbing together and his free hand resting over _that_ area.

Oh, now I get it. He's upset because I saw. I saw down there, and I saw what he has that isn't the same as others, whether they or he is a girl or boy. He's different, and he's been different since birth.

I sigh as I pull my hand away from Yoite. He looks up at me, a tear slipping down his cheek unwarranted by his will. He's got the look of dead set fear in his eyes, and I know exactly why. He's expecting rejection. He's expecting me to freak out on him for his being different.

He's not going to get it.

"Yoite," I say as I cup his cheeks into my hands. I cut off the flow of tears with my fingers, wiping them away as I look into his eyes. I can see his eyes quiver, and I know why for this too.

I can read him like an open book now. He's trying to look away, afraid for what I have to say, if anything. He's also forcing himself to look at me, so he can see me and know that, for whatever I say, it'll be the truth or a lie. There's a part of him that's hopeful, hoping that I won't reject him and hoping that I'll give him what he wants, what he _needs._ I'm more than willing to do that.

I know words won't work. Someone like Yoite, for whatever reason, has learned that words can be lies. He's learned that people can lie through their teeth and make it seem like they're telling the truth. What he doesn't know, though, is that actions speak louder than words. I thought I made it clear last night, but apparently not.

I bring Yoite close and kiss his lips silently. I leave my eyes open, gazing into his blue eyes that are glassy with tears. I want him to see, feel, hear, and sense that I'm not lying.

I don't care, Yoite. I don't. Everything about you is _you_. It makes you who you are. It defines you, it adds to your personality, and I care for each and every bit of it. The scar on your neck, the discoloration or your hands, your scared eyes, the things you're hiding beneath your layers of bulky clothes; all of it is perfection in my eyes.

If you thought something like that would scare me off, you're wrong. It makes me even more curious. I want to know how that scar got on your neck. I want to know why you can't trust me or anyone else properly. I want to know why you've built up walls around yourself and why you do your best to keep them up. I want to know why you keep everyone out. I want to know everything, Yoite.

Why can't you trust me, Yoite? You can trust me. I'm not going anywhere any time soon, and neither are you. I'm here for you. Please, please understand that.

This is all I think about as I kiss him. His lips are frozen, unmoving while his eyes look into mine. I can only hope he's reading me correctly and not taking it the wrong way.

_"Love is another thing that can be fickle..."_

I pull back, giving him the opportunity to breathe. He quietly pants against my lips, his eyes still staring into mine without a word in edge-wise. I don't say anything either as his trembling hands slowly reach up to grip at my wrists in the desperate grip he had on my hand earlier.

"_Because it can be just as heartbreaking…"_

He's panting again, although I think that is from the kiss more than anxiety, or maybe it's both. I can't be too sure on that one. His gaze falls for a few moments to our hands, and when he realizes that his grip may break my wrists, he loosens up. I take the opportunity to lace our fingers together, slowly so I don't scare him off. I kiss his forehead, letting my lips linger to communicate a bit more, just in case. He looks up at me again, but only for a moment before he looks back down at our hands.

I think he gets it.

"You aren't wearing anything…" He mumbles. I look down, and yes, I am still not wearing anything. Somehow, the sudden realization of it is more embarrassing than anything. I yank my hands away in a flustered mess and fall backwards onto the floor, narrowly missing the couch leg and smacking my head into the ground.

"_Well, isn't he good for ruining a moment?"_ Miss Fairy murmurs. I sit up frantically and pull the blanket around my body, hoping to cover up, and I stare at him as if telling him to give me privacy. He gives me a small smile; small, but still there. It's kind of mocking, almost like he's saying that I've seen him naked already, so why should I be so shy?

I huff at him and pull myself back onto the bed, being careful to not expose anything on me. I crawl back into the middle of the bed and go digging under the pillows for my clothes, wherever they are. I do this for at least a minute, hoping to find something, but end up with nothing. Yoite clears his throat behind me, and I turn to look at him to see that he's got my clothes in his hand, folded up and clean.

When did he find time to wash them?

"Uh… Thanks…" I mumble and take them away from him. When did I suddenly become so shy? Did he somehow imprint that on me when I kissed him? That's so not fair.

I get dressed as quickly as I can, alternating between slipping my clothes on and keeping the blanket on me. When I'm finally in my own clothes, which are surprisingly warm, I sigh and slip out of bed. The lower half of me is practically as stiff as a bored and sore, causing me to stagger in the process of standing. I end of clinging to the bedside table to stay up right. Having to stand up straight is an even more painful process, because there is a pain that shoots right up my spine and nearly knocks my butt right back to the floor. I've been in both pain and sore before, but this is ridiculous.

Is Yoite in this much pain too? He's not letting on about it, that's for sure. I somewhat hope he is, because this is _definitely not_ fair.

"Are you okay?" He asks. He better not be mocking me.

"Yep, all good." I mutter.

"_If you're going to lie, be more convincing about it."_ The Shinrabansou says. I wave my hand in the air, as if I'm waving her off of my shoulder before attempting to stretch my arms over my head. It helps a little, but I'm so sore that not even a professional massage therapist could fix this. This is something that's going to need time to fix… Wee.

I force myself to walk. It's painful, but stretching will help, not sitting in bed and wasting the day away. I walk (limp) over to the window and peek through the curtains, hoping to see something. I don't know what I'm hoping for though. _Something_ I guess.

"Is something wrong?" Yoite asks from behind me. I turn to look at him, and he looks a little worried.

"Hm…? Oh, no, I was just looking outside, that's all." I explain. His blue eyes soften when hear that, and he stands to join me.

I definitely don't miss it. He's limping too. He's hiding it better than I am, however.

"There's not much to look at out there…" He mumbles.

"Yeah, but there isn't much to look at in here too." I say. It's true. I think I've memorized even the tiniest of cracks in here. I thought it'd be better to stay down in the rebel camp like everyone else, but Thobari was completely and absurdly against it. He was adamant about me staying in the hotel, something about it being cleaner with less mold. It was good for my health if I stayed about ground and in this one room, and no matter how much I argued about it, he continuously refused until I gaze in.

I thought it would be a good idea to stay so I can know people better. I wanted to get to know the people who had been deserted by their last ruler and enslaved into poverty. I really wanted to know the boy who I saw earlier, the one who looked like Yoite, that boy, Tsukasa Kōdō. Why was I so curious about him? I really don't know myself. There is something familiar about him, besides looking like Yoite, and it's got me curious.

"_You should really watch that ramped curiosity, my young Miharu. It could get you killed."_ Miss Fairy whispers.

"Miharu…?" Yoite calls out quietly. I look up to him and away from the world outside, my pupils straining to the darker lighting.

"Yeah…?"

"You looked a little off. Are you sick?" Yoite asks. I smile, because as he asked that question, his voice cracked with the left over sickness. He's worried about me more than he is about himself. While that's sweet, he should be more concerned for himself.

"I'm fine, I was just thinking about something." I say and go to looking back outside the window.

"Has the Shinrabansou said anything to you?" He asks. I frown slightly.

"_Was I not there? For sixteen years I didn't have a name… Not until Yukimi called me Yoite…"_

"_Please save me… I don't want to die…"_

"_I don't want to die… I just want to disappear…"_

Those words are still ringing in my head from yesterday. What did Yoite mean by all of that, and the name, Sora, who was that? What did all of this have to do with him? Why won't he tell me?

"No, not yet. I haven't really being trying to talk to her though." I mumble.

"_So would you do it, Miharu?"_ Miss Fairy asks me. _"Would you erase the boy, even if it went against what you want?"_

'_There isn't anything I want… I just want thing to go back to normal.'_

"You seemed distracted… That's why I was asking." Yoite murmurs.

"I know. There's so much to think about, and I feel like everyone is counting on me for something, but I don't know what." I say, leaning my head against the window.

"_You know exactly what you want. You just don't want to admit it." _She whispers.

"It must be difficult for you." Yoite says. I look away from outside and at him. Seeing the guilty look on his face gets a smile on mine. "Is something funny?" He asks.

"You're worried about me, but you don't ever worry about yourself." I say and let a small and quiet chuckle slip through my lips. He looks away, a blush dusting his pale cheeks that has my heart beat faster.

"_You'd give up your apathy for him, but you want things back to normal?" _The Shinrabansou questions. _"You can't have it both ways. You can only have it one way."_

"I-I was worried," The words slip past him, almost like it went against his tall wall and guards and came out without him knowing. It sure has me shocked, but seeing the way his cheeks flare enlightens me. I step from the window and press a hand against his cheek, turning his attention to me instead of outside. His eyes shift to me, outside, and then back to me, but he's more embarrassed than before.

"_Only one way, Miharu…"_

I ignore the Shinrabansou for now. Instead, I bring Yoite close, a hand chastely on his waist and the other still on his cheeks. I step on my tip toes to reach him, my lips barely meeting his before I lose my balance and fall back slightly. His hands reach out around my back and pull me back, keeping me near him. This gets me to smile. I grab at his shirt and pull, bringing him down so I don't have to balance so much. It catches him off guard, but he complies, shyly pressing his lips to mine in a quick kiss.

"_Only one…"_

There's a bright flash of light. At first, my instinct is to panic, because the last time I saw such a bright light like that, I became the Shinrabansou. I pull out of the kiss, pushing Yoite away so he stays in a safe distance, but I see the same look on his face that I have. He saw the light too. He looks out the window first, his eyes widening when he see what caused it. I follow his eyes to look outside the window, and I see what caused the bright light.

An explosion at the top floor of the Global Edifice.

"What the hell happened?" I murmur. It's more of a question to myself and the Shinrabansou than to Yoite, and it's not asking for much of an answer, even though I want to know the answer.

The building gives way at the top floor, collapsing and falling to the next. The same thing happens to the next, and then it's like dominos. One floor after another, they all fall. The whole building comes crashing down into the ground, just like something you would see on the news.

It's horrifying.

It's berating

It's really happening.

"Miharu, get away from the window." I vaguely hear Yoite say behind me. I barely register his words. All I'm doing is watching the scatter of people outside, running away and screaming in horror. Then I see a large cloud forming at the base of the destruction, forming into a large ball of horror. It gets closer, and as it does, I can see debris flying inside of it. "Miharu!"

Yoite grabs my hand from behind me and yanks. He pulls me away from the window and yanks me to the floor behind the bed. He drops down on top of me, and just in time too. I've closed my eyes at this point, but I hear the glass of the windows shattering and then things flying everywhere. Dust and smoke clog my lungs and it becomes hard to breathe. I can't open my eyes without something getting into them and burning them. I cough and hack at the smoke, and I can barely hear Yoite doing the same above me.

What's happening? What's going on? I don't understand…

I wrap my arms around Yoite, keeping him close while this smoke and dust force its way into the room. A few pieces of debris fly by and scratch at the back of my hands and Yoite's back, causing small scratches to form and for dirt to get in them. I'm barely aware of the pain. I'm more worried for what's happening.

It's like this for, what feels like, forever, but it's only a good thirty seconds before everything calms down. Yoite pushes himself off of me, looking over the edge of the bed while fighting back a terrible cough. I sit up from under him, gazing out past the rim of the bed to see the destruction the explosion caused.

Just this room is in terrible shape. The curtains are beyond repair and tattered around the room, the lamp that once stood on the bedside table is gone, nowhere to be seen. The bed and floor is littered with glass, dust, ashes, and planks of wood and metal from other buildings. The paint has chipped off of the wall, and it's all tainted with black ash. If it looks like hell just in this room, I'm afraid to go outside.

"Are you alright?" I turn to Yoite and ask. He nods his head, but the smoke has made it hard to breathe for, not just me, but him as well.

"I-I'm okay," He says. When he gets off of me, I sit up fully, being wary of the glass under me as I push myself to my knees and look at the backs of my hands. They're pretty scratched up, but what did it, I can't be too sure.

'_What the hell just happened?'_

"_Not sure,"_ Miss Fairy answers. I roll my eyes; how helpful.

"We need to get out of here and find Thobari and Yukimi… Maybe they know," I suggest. Yoite nods his head and stands. I prepare to stand myself, but find myself being lifted off of the ground by Yoite. "W-What are you doing?" I ask, a blush dusting my cheeks among the dirt and ash.

"You don't have any shoes on. You'll cut up your feet." He says as he carries me to the door. He sets me down to retrieve my shoes, and once I do, we leave, peeking outside to see what's going on.

It wasn't a crowded hotel to begin with, so it doesn't surprise me that one or two people crawl from their rooms. This is good for us, because it gives us the chance to sneak away. We do what we did before when having to evacuate the hotel, leaving through the emergency stairs and escaping the building through the now thoroughly damaged door.

I don't dare look up from the ground. The screams of terror and horror from the innocent people were enough for me to guess how bad the damage was. That and the damage below my feet I had to step over. I had to make sure I didn't trip over pieces of wood, or worse, bodies. Yoite ends up leading me, and I don't know how he can stomach all of this, because I sure as hell can't.

"Miharu, Yoite!" We hear. We turn, and I dare to look up to see Kouichi chasing us. He's pushing past all of the people, coming up to us and panting that foul smelling air. He bends over his knees, getting a moment to collect the air he lost before standing up and looking over us. "Are you guys alright?" He asks.

"We're fine." I say, finding Yoite's hand and taking it in my own. "What about you?"

"I'm okay. I was already on my way over here when that happened." He explains, pushing his dirty, white hair out of his face.

"What the hell happened anyway?" I ask curtly.

"I don't know!" He whines.

"This isn't something the rebels did, is it?" Yoite asks. I look at him for a moment, noticing that he has scratches on his face before looking back at Kouichi.

"It better not be." I snap.

"It's not, I swear! It can't be, at least…" He mumbles the last part.

"You aren't sure?" I ask.

"No, we can't do stuff like this without full permission and everyone's agreement on it! If I or you didn't know about this, they couldn't possibly have done it!" He explains with barely any air to spare. He gasps for breath, hoping to get some. All he gets is ash.

"Who is "they"?"

"The ones practically running the rebellion; Miss Oda and Raikou-" He starts, but I stop him.

"Take me to them. I want to see them now." I say. Kouichi's shoulders drop, the look of a discomforted written all over his face. He sighs and nods his head, pointing to the direction of the camp.

"Alright, follow me," He mumbles in defeat and takes us there.

I'm so livid with anger that I don't care about anything right now. I'm mildly aware of Yoite still holding my hand, and I'm probably crushing it with the way I'm holding onto it. I follow Kouichi's lead all the way to the rebel camps that way and I don't stop until we're there.

Everyone down here is in a frenzy. People are running around and screaming just as much as they were upstairs, except these people aren't injured. Some are, but not a many, and the injuries are not as profuse. I pull on Yoite's hand, wanting him to stay as close as possibly so we don't get separated while down here. As Kouichi yells over the crowd, telling us to keep following him, someone spots me. I recognize this person from the few days I spent down here, but I can't put their name to their face.

"Help us!" This man cries. He grabs at my free hand and stops us, making me keep my attention on him. "You can end this, can't you, Shinrabansou? End it! Please end it!" He begs.

Yoite pulls my hand free and sends a frightening glance his way, but someone else is already grabbing at me, trying to get my attention.

"What happened? Do you know what happened up there?"

Kouichi pushes the girl away, making her fall back into the crowd that's forming around us.

"I-I don't know-"

"Why don't you know?" Another person speaks up. Kouichi grabs at both of us and forces us forward.

"Why don't you know, Shinrabansou?"

"How could you let this happen?"

"What about all of those innocent people?"

"Was it you who did it?"

"I didn't do it, I don't know!" I try to yell over them.

"Ignore them, Miharu. Don't add any fuel to the fire." Kouichi shouts back as us and pulls us into a clearing. I fall onto my knees, panting for breath. I realize that it smells a lot better up here than it did up there, but I didn't realize how painfully hard it was to breathe in that crowd until I was out. Yoite tumbles to his knees beside me and Kouichi stays up to make sure we have room to breathe by pushing the frightened people away.

I sit up, forcing more air into my lungs as Yoite does the same. Poor Kouichi is fighting the best he can with the mob of people, but there are so many rebels, and they all want answers from me, answers I don't know or have. I can't help them, even though I want to. I'm just one person…

"There you are, Miharu." A voice full of relief says. I look up to see Raikou and his sister standing by us, both worried for Yoite and I. Raikou's hand is extended out to me, hoping for me to take it so I can stand. Seeing Raikou, I suddenly remembered the anger I momentarily lost. I stand up and push at him, getting his hand out of my face and knocking him back into his sister. Once recovered, his sister instantly draws her sword from its sheath.

"What the hell have you done?" I bark over the crowd and others.

"It wasn't us, Miharu! I told you that!" Kouichi says to me. Reimai holds her sword out at me, ready to cut me down if I make another move.

"It wasn't us, Miharu. Kouichi is right." Raikou says. "We didn't order for any of this to happen and we certainly didn't want the damned place bombed." He adds.

"Bullshit!" I bark. "You and I have both been there!"

"And there were innocent people in jail there as we speak! Why would we bomb a place and risk others getting hurt?" Raikou raises his voice as he asks. I pause for a moment, letting the words sink into me.

He's right. There were people there, all kinds of people. My anger is just livid towards the lives lost, but I'm taking it out on the wrong person.

"We did a count as soon as the place went down, Miharu. None of our weapons are missing." He adds, his voice dropping down to its normal octave. I lick my lips and nod my head, understand him.

"Okay…" I mumble. He sighs and motions for his sister to put her sword away, which she does, but only after some arguing. One sheathed, she huffs and steps away to help Kouichi with the crowd. I look down at Yoite, seeing him give me a worried look. I reach out a hand for him and help him up, letting him lean on me for support.

"Miharu, I promise you, if there is ever a decision where violence is the only answer, we'll go over it with you. Otherwise, it's an absolute no." Raikou says.

"No," I say. I look up at him, making sure to stand as straight as I can. "I don't want that. I want to know about everything that goes on from now on, not only certain decisions." I demand. Raikou's calm demeanor doesn't let up, even when he nods his head and looks back to Raimei, Kouichi, and the whole crowd of people.

"Of course, Miharu," He says.

"I want to see Thobari and Yukimi. I need to talk to them." I say. Raikou's expression suddenly falls.

Something isn't right.

"We don't know where they are…" He says.

"What do you mean?" I ask, glaring at him for good measure.

"The three of them had just left here before the explosion. They had to go to work…" He trails off, his eyes shifting to the floor in a downcast.

My heard stalls within my chest. I can feel Yoite stiffen beside me, but I don't know if I can help him. The inner turmoil in my head has suddenly risen to dangerous levels.

"You mean… They went to the building?" I am afraid to ask, and even more afraid of an answer. Raikou nods his head after a pause, as if he isn't sure he should answer, but he knows that there is no way to avoid the subject.

"Yukimi too?" I can hear the apprehension in Yoite's voice. He's afraid, afraid that the one person who took him in is now dead.

So am I.

Thobari, Hana, Yukimi, they could all be buried in rubble somewhere, gasping for air, begging for freedom, hoping to see their loved ones one last time before it's all too late.

And I can't do anything to help them…

* * *

**A/N: Alright, now I need to get serious here. I've noticed for a bit now that this fanfic is getting more difficult to write. It's not that I hate it, but I'm starting to. Why? Because a while back I was making a joke that writing fanfiction was becoming a second job. I work all week and then my weekend is spent working on these. ****Writing this is like another job, and it's a job I'm starting to hate, which I don't want. ****I don't want to think of my fanfiction that way. I love writing and I love making you guys happy with what I write, but if I'm not putting everything I have into my fanfiction, well them I'm just wasting my time. It's pointless. I didn't even proof read this chapter because I don't have the interest to do so.**

**With this being said, I won't stop working on this fanfic. I love it very much and I love all of my reviewers for following in the story so far. It makes me so happy. What I'm going to do is take a break from this. I'm not saying it'll be another year before you get an update, more like two or three weeks. If it gets to be that long and I still haven't updated then I will, because I don't want to leave you guys hanging. I kind of did leave this one hanging for you. ^^' This way though, I'm taking a break from it. I don't want to force myself doing something I hate and then end up hating it more.**

**I hope you guys can understand. This way, when I get back into writing this, I'll be ready to put myself back into writing and making it better. :) Because that ish what I love to do. Again, I hope you can understand my decision. I promise that I won't stop this fanfic and I promise that I won't wait months to update. It just won't be once a week. I think it was easier writing this story when I could update whenever I wanted to, but since school is here, I don't want to get in the way of anyone's studies.**

**Please keep studying hard, my friends! I know you can do it! :D**

**じゃね！**

**-Misty**


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